The Dream Master
by BloodyCrystal
Summary: Sequel to Misconceptions. The past can hurt. It can turn friends and allies against each other. Especially when manipulated by a vengeful man. The revival of a demon is coming. HxT, among others.
1. Prologue

BloodyCrystal: Hey, all! Here's the first chapter of the multi-chappy fic that is the sequel to Misconceptions, Void, Scream, and Nightmare.

This takes place several weeks after Misconceptions, so there probably won't be much of a time gap.

As always, I only own Lani, the plot, the bad guy, and his evil henchmen—unless otherwise stated, of course.

Enjoy the first chapter!

* * *

Lani yawned and rubbed at her eyes. She just couldn't get the feeling of immense tiredness out of her system. At this rate, she would be no use as tactician, and where would she-and the others-be then? 

The limber eighteen-year-old stretched, looking much like a cat, then went back to the hunched over position her body had been in for the past several hours as she poured over reports and maps. The situation was grim, and her companions needed her at full alert. That meant no tiredness, no mistakes, no second-guessing, and no assumptions; she was only succeeding-so far-with one.

Lani groaned as unbidden memories rose in her mind. Thoroughly irritated, she ignored them, telling herself again and again that events had occurred the way that they should have. She couldn't stop second-guessing the last campaign she had been on with Lord Hector, Lord Eliwood, and Lady Lyndis. That was bad enough when she wasn't on campaign; it was far worse when she was.

Two faces rose to mind; the first a nice one that was easy on the eyes, the second a hardier face that radiated a protective air. Sandy blonde hair, slightly spiked, but almost never styled adorned the first. An almost unparalleled sword master, he had a strong sense of loyalty; especially to his brother. The second had browner hair that looked slicked on, like a hard shell. A ferocious fighter and passionate ally, his honor-and pride-was second to none. _If only we hadn't been on opposing sides. If only I had convinced even one of them…_

Lani shook her head to clear it of such thoughts; they hadn't helped then and they sure as hellfire didn't help the young tactician now.

But, gods, how she missed them with all of her heart…

* * *

Heath growled under his breath. He absolutely loathed flying Hyperion in the rain. It was-to him-a horrendous activity. 

Worse, he had to deal with smelling wet wyvern, which was even a remotely pleasant odor. He'd prefer to be back at camp copying maps or sitting in on meetings to scout duty in the rain. Scout duty was fine, provided the sky wasn't crying rain, snow, sleet, or hail; he'd even choose scout duty over anything else provided it wasn't drenching buckets.

But, being one of only five flyers in the "army", he didn't have much choice. So, he attempted to ignore his sodden state and looked for the landmark that meant he could return to base camp-and warm, dry settings.

So far, there had been no sign of the odd-shaped rock he had been ordered to scout to, but that didn't mean much with such limited sight.

Heath contemplated-briefly-complaining to HQ when he got back, but that would upset Lani, and she was already in pretty bad condition. She would take the brunt of the complaints, feel bad, and not show up for the comfort the two provided each other with. He resolved to keep his mouth shut about conditions and simply report on his findings. No more, no less.

But, gods, how he wished that he was dry…

* * *

Hector wished to high heavens that the last of the scouting party would hurry the hell up; he was sick and tired of waiting up night after night for the last of them to get in. But he knew that he wasn't in the worst of conditions this particular night, if only because the last scout still out there was Heath. Lani couldn't go to sleep without him, and the tactician was already bone weary and half-dead from lack of sleep; she had been up before dawn when Heath rose to go with the scouting party, because neither of the two could peacefully sleep when the other was gone. 

Hector planned on giving the Wyvern Lord a stern tongue lashing for staying out for all hours when Lani wasn't with him. The cooler part of his mind reminded him that Heath was probably exhausted as well, but the Great Lord was far more concerned with their only tactician; Heath was replaceable, Lani was not. But then, maybe Heath wasn't replaceable, if he was the only one who could let Lani get some sleep.

He saw Lyndis glaring at him, as if she had guessed his mind. The Blade Lord shook her head at him quite fiercely, as though warning him off being rude to the tardy Heath.

Hector decided to not yell at the Wyvern Lord simply to take the strain off. He'd ask Lani-or, better yet, Pent and Louise-if there was an arena in the area; that would probably cheer him up, _and_ prevent him from yelling at anyone. He'd ask the two of them as soon as Heath got back.

Speaking of, where was he? It had been a full two hours since the last of the other scouts came in, so where was he? _Just be safe, and hurry up, and there'll be no complaints…_

Gods, how he wished Heath would hurry up…

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Well? Did ya like it? I hope so; I spent a lot of hard work on this one. Now, about my updating schedule: I can probably do it about once a week-most likely Sunday or Monday-, but I'm not promising anything; I've got a hectic schedule right now. Oh, bonus points-and a preview of the next chapter-to whoever can guess who Lani was thinking about. You have to guess both of them for the preview, but one is good enough for a special shout-out. If you can guess _why_ she was thinking about those two in particular, then I'll give you previews of the next three chapters. The previews are more like teasers, but whatever. 

Your only hint: both characters are from the game, and they die in the game.

A special shout-out to **Fire Fanatic** for the help with pairings!


	2. Return

BloodyCrystal: Heyla, folks! I hope you enjoy this chapter, because we've got our first glance at a little bit of gore. We even get to see the villain! Ooooooooh! How exciting!

In case anyone's wondering, **Fire Fanatic** was the only one to get the two characters correct! Go **Fire Fanatic**! You'll all find out who they are in this chapter, but I always think it's more fun to guess.

And before anyone mentions it: Yes, I am playing with people's ages. They don't tell you how old most of the characters are, so I'm making quite a bit of this up. Please don't yell at/kill/blame me for this; it's just to help the storyline. Okay? Thought so. If you have a problem, don't read this; no one is forcing you to.

On another note, I LOVE feed back, and it is always appreciated; even if it's just "good" or "update soon". So, please, just send a review my way. Thank you.

Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing except the plot, the villain, Lani, the makeup of any and all governments in this fic, and any and all dreams/nightmares. Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Ch. 1: Return

The man was tall. Not overly so, but he was tall enough to be properly intimidating. He liked it that way, so he never complained to any gods he might worship.

He stretched, languidly, and muscles rippled. Not prey, this man, but a predator. A dangerous predator, disguised in silk like a pretty scabbard hides a steel sword-blade.

He looked, casually, into the murky silver-white depths of the crystal sphere resting in front of him. He glared at the scene that met his fire-colored eyes. A scene that took place many hours ago, but a thoroughly annoying one. Now he understood.

So, that was how it was. They were helping each other. Well, he would fix that, and no mistake.

Soon, soon the two would learn exactly why he was called The Dream Master. And when they did, he would finally have the fear he so richly craved from them; the fear that they held would be enough for the revival, he knew it.

And, once the revival was over and the world bowed down before him, he would enjoy the prolonged torture of the only two who had ever escaped from his web. They would suffer for their daring, and suffer long. After all, he knew them so intimately that it would be only too easy to manipulate them.

Now that he thought about it, he knew them better than they knew themselves. It was a delicious twist of irony, especially considering that these were the only two to evade his grasp.

Until then, he could wait for an eternity, if only to have them at his feet, begging for the release of death.

He laughed then, cold and cruel laughter that penetrated the dreams-no, nightmares of his victims.

* * *

Eliwood shifted, ever so slightly, and glanced-for the third time in as many minutes-towards the tent entrance. Normally, he would've been a bit more relaxed, but Heath was late by three hours. That wasn't like the Wyvern Lord; especially when Lani couldn't sleep without him. 

Speaking of the Tactician, Lani didn't look too good. She wasn't getting enough sleep anymore. Eliwood made a mental note to tell Heath that he was off patrol tomorrow; that way, Lani would finally be able to sleep in.

Satisfied with this answer, Eliwood turned his attention back to the tent flap.

His vigilance paid off five minutes later when a bedraggled, blood-specked, thoroughly soaked Wyvern Lord entered the tent, barely making it inside before he collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Heath!" Lani screamed, dashing to the side of her comrade. "Heath, get up! Please, get up!" The Tactician started shaking him, screaming and sobbing.

"Lani, please, stop! You don't want to hurt Heath anymore," Lyn said, placing a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder. Lani buried her face in Heath's jacket, muffling her sobs even as she stopped shaking him.

"What happened, Heath?" Eliwood murmured. "What happened?"

* * *

Warm, cloth sheets draped him. There was a little bit of light, but not much. There was also a presence, someone sitting nearby, holding his hand. Heath turned, slightly, to see Lani, sleeping by his bedside. 

Heath smiled, ever so slightly, and brushed some of the girl's bangs away from her hair. Sure there was a vast difference in ages between them, but that was often hard to see; particularly when they were in a setting like this.

Heath sat up-slowly-and looked around. He was in his and Lani's quarters, which meant he had made it back to camp safely. Heath started to rise, but the door opened and Serra came in. "No, you do not!" the hot-tempered Bishop scolded. "You just woke up! You need to continue to take it easy! Understand, you stubborn, wyvern-riding twit?"

"Twit? Serra, how am I a twit?" he asked, frowning slightly. "And how is Hyperion?"

Serra rolled her eyes as if to say "men!", but answered quickly enough: "Your wyvern is resting-like _you_ should be. He is perfectly all right; you were in much worse shape, I'll have you know! A lot of healing went into you, so be grateful-"

"Serra, please answer my first question," Heath sighed. He knew-from long experience-that if he didn't cut her off, she could-and possibly would-ramble for hours.

"Hmph!" the pink-haired healer huffed, sounding highly indignant. "If you absolutely _must _know, it's because of how much you worried Lani! She is already a frequent enough visitor for stress issues! She does _not _need you being late or injured to add to her workload, Wyvern Lord!"

Heath stared at Serra in shock. "And _why _didn't anyone see fit to tell me Lani's mental state?" he snarled, more than a little annoyed.

"Because if you people don't think her infallible, this whole group falls apart!" Serra roared back, throwing her arms upwards in a combination of disgust and exasperation. "Now be quiet! Lani needs her sleep, and so do you!" With that, she stalked out, managing to shut the door without so much as a squeak from the hinges.

Heath stared after her, wide-eyed with awe over Serra's control.

Shrugging, he lay back down, carefully pulling Lani in with him. He closed his eyes, and, like Serra had all but ordered, went to sleep.

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Well? You like? I hope so. I promise that later chapters will be longer. It's just that I'm in the middle of several school projects, and dance recitals are coming up, and the school lit. magazine-which I staff-is working overtime to meet a deadline. Sorry, but I'm really, REALLY trying. The next chapter should be up next week or the week after; promise. 


	3. Remember

BloodyCrystal: Hi, all! Welcome to chapter two of The Dream Master! (pauses for cheers) What, no cheers? Well, putting that aside, may I present: Chapter 2!

Disclaimer: I only own Lani, the bad guy, the plot, and a few other things that I can't seem to remember right now...

* * *

Ch. 2: Remember

"I don't know who ordered them to attack me, and I don't know who they were. There were about five or six of them, and they all wanted to knife me. It was a nice setup, though."

"'A nice setup?'" Hector roared, furious at Heath's casual demeanor and off-handed compliment. "They nearly killed you and you call it 'a nice setup?' What kind of-"

"Peace, Hector," Eliwood interrupted, holding up his hand to stop his friend's angry tirade. "Heath, why _do_ you admire it?"

"I was in Bern's wyvern riders for quite a while. In any military organization, tactics and strategy are _very_ important. Therefore, we were trained on effective ambushes. The rain gave my opponents an ambush, that's true, but I was in a _plain_. Do _any_ of you know how hard it is to ambush someone in a field? _Even_ if it's raining?"

Lani looked up from repairing torn clothes, a single eyebrow raised at Heath's unnatural vehemence. "It's hard," she replied. "The chance of alerting your opponent-on a field, in the rain-is 9:1 against." There were gasps and low whistles from the other commanders. "Impressive, isn't it? Particularly since Heath has been in more real military situations than most of us. What would have happened to, say, Flo'? Or Rebecca? Or even Bartre? Care to bet on _their_ survival chances?"

"We get the point, Lani," Lyn replied, frowning-ever so slightly-at the Tactician.

Lani nodded gravely, and turned back to her sewing.

"Professionals, do you think?" Eliwood asked of the room at large.

Lani nodded almost immediately, but the rest thought it out more. "It's highly probable," Lord Pent said, a frown creasing his face. "But if they are, then this is distressing-for me and Louise, at least."

"Yes," Lady Louise agreed, her face wrought with worry. "You see, Etruria is known for _not_ having mercenaries within its borders. ("I'll bet even Etruria turns to mercenaries in desperate times," Lani murmured, head down so no one else would hear.) The fact that there are...Our people would not be prepared!"

"I killed all those that attacked me, Lady Louise, so there are a handful less," Heath assured her.

"Thank you, Heath; it means a lot to know that even some of them can't terrorize my people," she replied, gracing the Wyvern Lord with a slight smile.

Heath bowed his head in acknowledgement, then turned to Eliwood. "Lord Eliwood, I believe that these men were highly trained, and might even be mercenaries. _But I am not sure_. For all I know, they were deserters from an army, or regular brigands." Heath's tone made it very clear that he did not think that the case.

"Heath, did these men wear anything...unusual?" Lani asked, sounding interested-in a casual-like way. "And how did they fight? What was their style?"

"They fought like berserkers, except that they always kept formation. They also didn't lose their heads; they played it strategically. And, now that you mention it, I remember that they all had a strange pendant on a chain."

"What did the pendant look like?" Lani asked urgently, eyes never once leaving Heath's face-not even to look. The Tactician had even put her make-work away; she was deadly serious about this question.

"I didn't see many of the pendants too clearly, but the one I did see looked like a silver human hand with black claws that were reaching for _some_thing," Heath said, slowly, eyes closed in concentration. "And the black claws looked slightly...reddish..."

"Jekran's Jackals," Lani whispered. The Tactician's eyes rolled up as she slumped in her chair.

"Lani!" Lyn cried, rushing to Lani's side. "She...fainted..." the Blade Lord gasped.

"What could have been so bad it made _Lani_ faint?" Hector questioned. "I mean, we've _seen _what brigands and mercenaries do, so what's so special about these Jackals that makes _her_ faint?" No one could answer, for the only one who could was out cold.

* * *

She was sitting on the hill outside her house, humming, when Lloyd and Linus approached her. "Heyla, Lanari!" Lloyd called. "It's too nice of a day to be sitting around, girl!"

"So? Th' two o' ya do't alla time!" she called back tauntingly.

"About that…" Lloyd started, his expression darkening over.

"What we're here to tell you, girl, is that we're being sent to train for the Black Fang," Linus told her.

"Wha'? Ye're leavin' already? But-ah thought-ah thought…" the seven-year-old stared at the two of them, shocked into silence for once.

"But, if you work really hard at your lessons, then you'll be able to be our Tactician when we're full-fledged members! That'll be fun, Lana. I promise," Lloyd told the devastated girl. He ruffled her hair in consolation.

"That means no slacking, pipsqueak," Linus said, teasing her just a tad. "You have to learn to speak proper, girl-child, or we won't take you."

"Jus' ye wait an' see! I'll be the best Tactician eva'!" the girl promised.

"You do that, Lana; you do that," Lloyd said, a strange look in his eye.

* * *

Lani sat bolt upright, eyes wide. _Have nae-oops, _I_ have _not_ had that dream in a while. I could have done without it for at least a little bit longer._

"Lani's up!" Serra's annoying voice said from beside her. Lani winced at the Bishop's volume level-Serra really could wake the dead without trying.

At Serra's shout, the "Command Group" came in, shooed Serra out, sat down, and looked at Lani. Lani gulped, slightly. _Somethin'-some_thing_ tells me I _don't _want to be here right now._

"Lani, what can you tell us about Jekran's Jackals?" Hector asked, almost immediately.

"They're a mercenary group..." she began, cautiously trying to read their body language in the hope that it would give her a clue as to what this was all about.

"You went and fainted the last time you mentioned them an hour ago, and now all of us want to know what it's all about," the Great Lord snapped. "So tell us, now."

"All right. Jekran's Jackals is a group of mercenaries from Bern. They never gained as much support as the Black Fang, so they headed elsewhere for 'work'. This elsewhere turns out to be the northern continent, where inter-country wars are a way of life. The Jackals also fit in there, mostly because they're bloodthirsty, lowlife scum. They _enjoy_," here, Lani's voice sounded uncharacteristically bitter, "rape, death, blood, gore, loot, anything. They'll also do _anything_ for money; anything at all. They will rape, kill, and loot even when it's not necessary; they do it even when they're told it's _not_ needed. That's how much they love that stuff."

There was a pregnant pause before Hector cleared his throat and asked, hesitantly, "Then what are they doing back on Elibe?"

"I don't know. Maybe our enemy hired them; we are getting quite close to Eirelm-Mea, you know. If he did, then he's the kind who doesn't care that Etruria will be wrecked by these monsters who call themselves mercs. He doesn't care that they'll turn on 'his' island of operations. All he cares about is killing, stopping, or slowing us. With an enemy like that, who needs Nergal?"

The others exchanged looks before Lady Louise gasped in horror. "What have they been doing to my poor people?" she cried.

Lord Pent paled, gulped audibly, and looked beseechingly at Eliwood. "Of course we'll track them all down," Eliwood declared. "We'd have to face them eventually, so better sooner as compared with later."

"Very well, milord," Lani said, standing. "Give me a map of Etruria and I'll tell you where they probably are."

"You can give us a good enough estimate?" Lyn demanded.

"Based on what passes for their 'entertainment', I can give you a six in seven chance of finding them," the Tactician replied, completely business once again.

"See to it, Lani," Eliwood ordered. "Lord Pent, Lady Louise, I'd like you to stay with Lani to help her with the map."

Lord Pent nodded gravely, one arm around his wife as she dried her tears.

And so, preparations for the next battle commenced. _If only I could command my blood-sibs as well; __then I would not be so worried about the outcome of this battle with those bastards who call themselves mercs. We'd pay 'em-_them_-back for what they did to Nadi and her group..._, Lani thought as she bent over the maps Marcus had-quite literally, by the smell-unearthed.

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Well, how was it? I hope you all enjoyed this little snippet of Lani/Lanari's past. More to come next chapter, and maybe a glimpse into Heath's life. Expect at least a pinch of romance, quite probably more. And, sorry about the day late update, I was 'kidnapped' by my sister to play games. (shudders) Trust me when I say that you _don't_ want my darling sibling after you-or mad at you...(shudders again)

Well, I must be going to dinner-and practice. At least this is one of my last weeks before the real thing, and then I'm done 'til next year. Buh-bye for now!


	4. Interlude: Spring Becomes Winter

BloodyCrystal: Okay, this is kind of an interlude chapter. Yes, I know, you all want to know what Jenrak's Jackals are doing to Etruria. Well, too bad. I don't have much time; I due to leave on a Memorial Day Weekend trip soon, and I want to get this up before **Fire Fanatic** goes on _her_ trip. So, this will be about Nadi and what happened to her. Expect gore and bloodshed. I may up the rating for this chapter, but I would up the rating eventually-in all likelihood-because of what will happen in the regular story. Without further ado, I present Interlude.

Disclaimer: Fire Emblem belongs to whoever made it-and, sadly, that is not me. However, I own Nadi, Lani/Lanari, Jenrak, the Jackals, and the northern continent. A special shout out to **Fire Fanatic **for coming up with Jenrak's name.

Warning: This chapter is not for those who are prone to nausea by reading of blood and gore.

* * *

Interlude: Spring Becomes Winter

Lanari waved goodbye to Nadi as Nadi's corps-nicknamed Nadi's Knights-went on their way. Lanari knew they'd be back by fall-the Knights _never_ did winter campaigns; they just weren't equipped for it.

In fact, the teenager thought, _they'll probably be back _before _fall since winter comes earlier in the north._ With that cheerful thought, the Tactician waved her friends out of the gates of the Black Fang's main headquarters. The raucous calling of a crow made her look up. The black bird was flapping up by the flags of all the company commanders who still served the Fang. Somehow, the crow had managed to tear Nadi's banner into shreds.

the teenager thought, before With that cheerful thought, the Tactician waved her friends out of the gates of the Black Fang's main headquarters. The raucous calling of a crow made her look up. The black bird was flapping up by the flags of all the company commanders who still served the Fang. Somehow, the crow had managed to tear Nadi's banner into shreds. 

Lanari shuddered, knowing exactly how bad of an omen that was. She could only pray for her the quick-and safe-return of her friends.

* * *

Nadi was nervous. She couldn't-and wouldn't-deny it. It was probably just that they were going into where Jenrak and his Jackals had gone, and Jenrak hated the Fang with a passion. If he found out they were there, well, Nadi didn't give a snowball's chance in hellfires for their survival.

Suddenly, as if summoned by thoughts of them, men wearing the Jackal's chain and pendant swarmed her and her corps, overwhelming them. They all fought like mad beasts, knowing exactly what awaited them if the Jackals managed to capture them alive.

Nadi herself was like a hurricane. Her blade bit home into necks, chests, and bellies more times than she could count. Nadi screeched the falcon war call Lanari had taught them as she waved her blade-bloodied by her enemies-aloft, calling her troops on to victory.

But the effort was in vain. Half an hour after it started, the Knights were either dead or in chains. The bodies of the dead Knights were collected and put into carts that went south. Nadi had a bad feeling about where those bodies-more specifically, the heads-were going. She only hoped Lanari wouldn't see them-she would be so upset, the poor girl.

Those who had been captured were marched north and west, until they reached the Jackal's headquarters. They were marched inside to Jenrak and his officers, then left with them. Nadi raised her head defiantly, only to have Jenrak himself grab her and start attacking her in the only way that brought pleasure and pain.

Nadi screamed, horrified, as he entered her, going again and again, as fast as he could. She briefly noted that all of Jenrak's officers had grabbed one of her people to do to them what Jenrak was doing to her. It was horrible, and made more so by the fact that, once the officers declared themselves sated, her and what was left of her corps-men and women alike-were thrown to the "grunts"-a.k.a., non-officers.

It took a long time for the Jackals to be sated. The women-some of them only girls by Nadi's way of thinking-and Nadi were used again and again for frontal sex-worse, they were being used as objects upon which one conferred sexual lust that wasn't even directed at the woman. Those men went until they had reached the climax that _they_ wanted, not even bothering to let the women/girls have a say.

But Nadi also felt for the men and boys of her command. They were being "ridden"-complete with bridle-by men who merely wanted anyone to take the edge off and were content with males.

Nadi wept for all under her command who were still alive. She had expected torture, but not on this scale. Oh, her poor brothers- and sisters-in-arms!

After the sexual assaults were over and done with, the very men who had been using them systematically cut their heads off. They piled the heads into the cart going south and east, then urinated on the corpses before throwing them to the fire.

* * *

Lloyd and Linus stared, horrified, at the "message" Jenrak had sent back. It was a warning, obviously, about what would happen to any more Fang members who were found by the Jackals. Linus swallowed, hard, as Lloyd turned to Lanari, knowing very well that the bloody, rotting heads of Nadi and her command might just break the young Tactician's heart; after all, they had been her first command.

Lanari stared at the "message." Her prayers had only been partly answered, and she wished-a thousand times over-that it had been the safe return rather than the quick return. She wiped her eyes, determined that no one should see her cry. _I will get tougher,_ she vowed. _I will get so tough, that no one's death will bother me ever again._

At that moment, Lanari's heart went from a warmly wet spring to a biting cold winter.

However, when winter melts, it leaves spring and summer to take its place.

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Just a little insight into who Nadi was and why Lanari/Lani hates the Jackals so much. Yes, she knows what was done to them because of the stories coming down from the north-and the Jackal Lloyd and his corps caught. This Jackal had been one of the ones to participate in the massive raping, so the Fang found out everything. However, they couldn't do anything because Brendan had just remarried, and him-and his new wife, Sonia-decided that they couldn't waste anyone up there because they would be killed as well. That's why Lanari/Lani hates Sonia.

I know I promised romance, but I wanted this over and done with before I left. I hope you enjoy the chapter and the early update. Week after this coming one will be the return of the regular story. Bye!


	5. Reunite

BloodyCrystal: Sorry about the late update, but last week was finals, so I don't feel too guilty. It's my summer vacation right now, but that means less updates not more; I go to computer-less camps A LOT. I'll update when I can, but it'll be with more time in between updates, not less. Sorry, but I LIKE the camps I'm going to, so I'm not going to say, "I won't go, because I have to do fanfiction!" Sorry, but my life doesn't work like that. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the chapters as they come.

Disclaimer: I only own Lani/Lanari, the main bad guy, Jekran and his Jackals, Nadi, and the pasts for real characters that I choose to make up.

* * *

Ch. 3: Reunite

* * *

Lani looked up as Eliwood entered the tent she shared with Heath. Eliwood glanced around, surprised at the clutter. Books and papers formed messy piles of varying heights, and the two cots-pushed together-were covered in a tangle of blankets and pillows. The desk that Lani was sitting at had maps, journals, quill pens, and sealed ink bottles scattered across its surface. Eliwood raised an eyebrow. "I thought you and Heath were neat and tidy. Looks like I'll have to revise my opinion of you two, Lani."

The Tactician wrinkled her nose at him in mock anger/disgust. "At least have the decency to wash up before coming in here and getting blood, dirt, and other paraphernalia on my maps, milord Eliwood," she scolded, moving a pile of papers off a nearby seat.

Eliwood sat down gingerly, arranging himself in such a way that the chair and the various objects near it didn't get blood on them. "How can you tell what is and isn't a map in this clutter, Lani?" At her indignant expression, he chuckled quietly.

"What do you want, milord?" she sighed. "Right after a battle-_before_ your shower, no less-means business. I should hope I know that after several years."

Eliwood laughed again, louder this time, impressed by Lani's skills at observation. "Unfortunately, Lani, you're right; this is business. Fiora was doing a flyover of the battle-like you suggested-and-with Farina and Florina-she caught the leader of that particular group."

Lani eyed him, an unreadable expression on her slightly triangular face. Eliwood would've given quite a bit of gold to know what was on the young Tactician's mind at that moment. "And you want me to do what, exactly?" she finally asked.

"You could probably tell us this man's rank, and your observations of his interrogation would be most welcome," Eliwood said, careful to keep his voice neutral.

Lani looked at him for a couple of seconds. Evidently, she saw whatever she had been searching for, because she nodded decisively. "All right, I'll go. Give me five minutes to get to-?"

"-to the command tent," Eliwood said, with ill-disguised relief. Lani was good at catching things others missed, so she would give them an advantage in the interrogation that was about to take place. "I'll see you in five minutes, Lani."

* * *

He scowled at them, mentally cursing everything about these would-be fighters. They didn't act, look, or even think like fighters should! They didn't read up on him and his Jackals; if they had, they would've known that _he_ was Jekran, not some regular idiot. It was a basic rule to know your enemy, and these green, wet-behind-the-ears upstarts didn't even know to do that! He would enjoy crushing every last one of them with well-placed blows to their "morals."

He watched as their so-called leader re-entered the tent. _Far too open _and _he cares for his enemies. What a twit!_ He turned his attention to the other leaders. _The Sacaen has way too many morals, and they conflict with each other. The blue bear-lord may _think_ he's deceiving someone with that attitude, but it's obvious how much he cares for those other two. And the Etrurians! All style, no real fighting power. They care for their land too much, just like all other Etrurians. They don't realize that it's people not land that makes something; land changes, people don't. Fools, all of them._

Three minutes later, a familiar-looking female figure entered, sitting down in the empty seat. She glanced at him, started, and stared harder. She nodded, as if confirming something she expected. She glared at him, and he knew why. After all, she was Back Fang, his mortal enemies. But if he knew her, then she'd have to be pretty high up. What was her name?

A Black Fang member-high-ranking-with red eyes...Who could she be? _Lanari,_ his mind whispered. _Ah! Lanari, the prodigal Tactician, pet of Linus and that bastard Lloyd!_

Who could she be? his mind whispered. 

"He's Jekran," she told the others bluntly, voice flat with no inflection.

"_He's_ Jekran?" the hulking, blue-haired lordling growled.

Lanari merely nodded, her face still leveled at Jekran, glaring daggers into him. If looks could kill, a pair of wine-red eyes would've killed Jekran a thousand times over.

Jekran decided to mock the girl, knowing that he had nothing to lose. Besides, he would love to annoy Lloyd's...pet. "Given up your old masters, pet?" he sneered. Lanari flushed, her face burning a brilliant crimson red. "I didn't realize your mammy raised such a traitor." He took delight in her face attempting to turn the color of new-spilled blood.

"Lani?" the red-haired leader asked. "What's he talking about?"

Jekran raised an eyebrow. Oh, this would do. Making Lloyd's "pet" suffer was almost as good as having the bastard in his clutches. "Didn't you tell _any_ of your new friends the truth?" At her poisonous glare, he chuckled darkly. "I take it you didn't. Such a bad pet, to not tell you new masters _anything _about the old ones. For that matter, I heard tell that you fought and killed your old masters. Is that true? Did you really do my dirty work for me?" Her deepening flush and the suspicious glimmer in her eyes revealed the truth. "You did! How delightfully problematic."

He watched with new-found delight as her facial color alternated between brilliant crimson and pale white. If he was any judge, one more blow would topple her. Well then, how to deliver the death blow? What did he know about this group that would help him? Wait! If these people had fought and killed Reed's sons, then maybe, just maybe, they were enemies of the whole Black Fang...And, for that matter, they had called her Lani, not Lanari...So that would help as well. He cleared his throat, and addressed the tent at large: "_I _wouldn't trust a traitor, mi'lords, mi'ladies. After all, Lanari over there betrayed her own 'family' to help you."

"What are you talking about?" the bear-lord thundered. As Jekran had hoped, he had a short fuse. "Who's Lanari, and how did she betray her own family?"

"You don't know? I would have thought she'd tell the command group, at the _very_ least. That she didn't...Does she trust you so little?" Here, he shook his head in mock sadness. "Little Tactician, you do your 'family' so much shame to forget all of their lessons so quickly. I bet you told no one. Such a shame, _Little Hawk_." Jekran deliberately drawled Lloyd's pet name for the girl. Sure enough, she flinched, and, as he had hoped, the others had seen it.

"Lani? Are _you_ Lanari?" the gray-haired Etrurian asked, gentleness radiating from him, as if to keep from scaring her.

The Tactician nodded, wine-red eyes wide in an oval face.

Jekran sneered at her, picking up with "So you admit to your real name, but not your true identity, Rein's daughter? Aloa would be so disappointed."

"Dinnae preten' tae ken what mah mammy woul' feel!" the girl shrieked, anger and shame making her explode. The others started at her harsh accent, leading Jekran to assume that she talked the way she had been _taught_, and not the way she had originally learned. "Ye barely knew mah 'rents, ye ken? Sa dinnae goo assumin' tha' ye ken all abaht mah fam'ly, ye bastid!"

"So you finally show your true colors, eh, Little Hawk? Do you know who would be so disappointed that you forgot your lessons? Your old 'master,' Lloyd!"

The gasps from the others told him that they had indeed met, defeated, and killed Lloyd. "Lani, is this true? Were you a part of the Black Fang?" the red-haired lordling asked. The Tactician hung her head, looking torn.

"Oh, do tell them, Little Hawk! I would _love_ to see their reactions to the truth! To the fact that _you_ were-at one time-one of the most devoted members of the Black Fang! Their most trusted Tactician, best friend of Brendan Reed's sons, with your parents the best friends of Brendan and Sherra Reed! Tell them how devoted you were to the Black Fang!" Jekran threw back his head and laughed the laugh of a madman. His eyes glinted with triumph, and a savage grin of joy lighted his harsh visage.

The Tactician, looking horrified, turned, and ran out of the tent before anyone could stop her. That was the last straw for the bear-lord, who hit Jekran on the head, sending him into blessed darkness.

* * *

With Jekran unconscious, the leaders looked at each other, lost about what they should be doing. Then, Louise, sighed. "We should believe in Lani; after all, she's stuck with us this far." The others nodded slow agreement.

"I'll go get Heath to go after her," Lyn said, rising from her perch. "I'll brief him, so that he knows a little of what's going on." When the others made to protest Lyn raised a hand; "It's only fair that he knows what he's going up against when he confronts Lani. My only question is how Jekran knew Lani when they're from different mercenary groups."

* * *

Lani stood in the rain, shivering every now and then at the cold. _I should have grabbed a cloak..._

She had _not_ wanted to see Jekran ever again. The last time she had actually _seen_ him had been a couple days before the Jackals went north. He and his father-also named Jekran-had been arguing with Brendan, his sons, and her father over which merc company had more right to be in Bern. Obviously, the Fang had won. She remembered that Jekran senior had been furious, but wise enough to take his group where they were needed. Jekran junior had been about the same age as Lloyd, and the two had hated each other. Because she was Lloyd's friend, he had hated her, too.

She had heard rumors-shortly before Nadi went to her doom up north-that Jekran junior had killed his father and taken over the Jackals. It was a sobering thought, but it went hand in hand with the rumors of his brutality. Lani was positive that there was _nothing_ he wouldn't do for gain.

She shivered again, and a warm, dark green cloak was draped about her. She turned, startled, to see Heath, also clad in a warm cloak, standing next to her. "You all right?" he asked. She nodded, and snuggled into the cloak.

"Did they tell you?" she asked him, fearing his reaction. It was his turn to nod. She sighed quietly, worried about how he was taking this. She _needed_ him after all, and she was starting to think it wasn't just the need for someone who helped block the nightmares.

"I don't care, Lan', but I wish you had told us sooner. I think it was hard for them to find out from an enemy; it was hard enough for me to find out from Lady Lyndis." She could hear the reproach in his voice, but it was gentle, not accusing. She relaxed, grateful that he wasn't too furious. "If there's something else, you should tell us, not have us find out from a stranger, Lan'. Okay?" She could only nod her head.

When he turned to go, she caught his sleeve. He turned, looking slightly down at her. "Stay...Please..."

"Of course, Lan'."

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Well? Didjya like it? I know I didn't deliver everything that I promised, but this seemed like a good stopping point. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and the stirrings of romance at the end. Please review, even if it's only "good" or "update soon"; all reviews are cuddled, unless they're flames, in which case they go towards roasting marshmallows! 


	6. Interlude: A Distant Past

BloodyCrystal: Well here it is, this week's update. Yes, it's another interlude, but it needs to happen. Also, I realize that I'm completely skewering the Black Fang's past, but that really can't be helped; it needs to happen. What _I'm_ going with is that Brendan's second marriage wasn't made _public_ until the time that the game characters say it happened, okay? Good. Also, I don't really know who's older: Lloyd, or Linus. So, I guessed. Big whoop. You don't like it? You don't read it. Now, onto the interlude chapter.

BTW, interlude chapters are memories, nothing more, nothing less.

Also, I'm sorry for the discrepancies in Jenrak/Jekran's name. It is Jekran, not Jenrak, and I'm sorry about the other interlude chapter, in which it is done wrong. That's all.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fire Emblem (7) or any of its characters.

* * *

Interlude: A Distant Past

* * *

Aloa Green smiled as she watched her six-year-old daughter run through the field, shrieking with laughter. Lloyd and Linus Reed-nine and eight, respectively-smirked ever so slightly as they crouched further into their hiding spot. Lanari Green looked around, sure her friends were around here _somewhere_.

Sherri Reed, the boys' mother, grinned as she fanned herself with her apron. "They are very lively, Aloa," she told her friend.

Aloa's smile became tolerantly fond as she answered, "They're _kids_, Sherri; of course they're lively."

"'d use a dif'rent word for the li'l monsters," Rein, Aloa's husband, mock growled. The other three adults laughed. "'m serious!" Rein protested. "Jest wait 'til one a'the boys announces that _he's_ gonna marry Lan'. Th' other'll call 'im on't, an' that'll start a whole mess a'fights."

Brendan smiled and replied, "I do believe the first one will be Lloyd, and Linus will call him for trying to 'seduce poor innocent Lan' away from me, her brother' or some other such nonsense."

All four adults laughed at this, highly amused. Rein still let out the occasional grumble, but the others ignored him in favor of watching their children. "Don't go barging out there to yell at those two boys, Rein," Aloa warned. "Come this time next year, they'll be leaving, and Lanari will be lonely."

"We'll have to try and see if they'll let those three see each other during training," Sherri said, thoughtfully. "I'll put a mental tab on it." The others grinned at Sherri's ability to mentally 'tag' something and be able to drag it back up when the need arose, simply by finding the item's 'tag.'

A surreptitious throat-clearing drew the adult's eyes to a man in the Black Fang outfit standing there. "Yes?" Brendan asked.

"Sir, Jekran-" the man was able to make the name sound like a curse "-is here to see you now."

"Send him over, then; no time like the present." When the man had left, Brendan sighed as he turned to the other three. "You should all stay and help me; I'll need all the help I can get dealing with Jekran."

"What about the children?" Sherri asked.

"Let them play; no need to involve them in _this_ just yet," Brendan replied. "Time enough when they're older." Rein nodded agreement, and Aloa and Sherri exchanged pointed glances.

Just then, Jekran entered. He was a tall, sturdily built man with blunt features. He was, well, average. The only thing that really stood out was the cold, cruelly calculating look in his eyes. However, there was one anomaly about him; there was a boy there, about the same age as Lloyd. His name was also Jekran, and him and Lloyd hated each other's guts.

"Son, go talk to the other kids while I speak with the adults," Jekran told his son. The boy nodded, and headed off, converging on the other three children. "Now, about our merc companies..."

* * *

Lanari squealed happily as she told Lloyd and Linus, "Foun' ya! Heeheehee..." She trailed off, turning to look at what had Lloyd and Linus so upset. Seeing Jekran (jr.), she eeped, and hid behind the two boys, who moved-ever so slightly-to hide the petite girl.

Jekran and Lloyd skipped any and all pretense at pleasantries, and started with insults and threats, neither of which were veiled. "So you're still alive, bastard. A pity, but one which I can remedy quite easily."

"I'd like to see you try, Jerk-ran," Lloyd retorted, angrily. "Come on, Lan', Linus; _he's_ not worth it." The three turned to leave, but Jekran interrupted them.

"Such good little pets you have, Lloyd. Does the girl jump into your bed without a second thought?" Lanari and Linus froze, horrified at the second idea-and very angry with the first. Lloyd, however...

Lloyd swung at Jekran, wildly angry. "Take that back! Lanari's a Tactician; she doesn't take orders from anyone!"

"Oh, so she's the one on top?" Jekran sneered, dodging even as he threw a punch back. That was all the incentive that _Linus_ needed, as he, too, flung himself on Jekran. Soon, the three boys were engaged in a huge fist fight, with Lanari watching in horrified fascination at how easily they damaged each other. When Lloyd was hurled against a tree, she overcame her paralysis, and dashed for the adults, screaming at the top of her lungs.

Aloa and Sherri came running, with the three males walking. Aloa scooped her daughter up, and dried Lanari's eyes. "What is it, honey? What's wrong?" she asked.

"M-mammy, L-Lloyd and Linus are f-fighting J-Jekran, and-and-and-" here, the girl burst into fresh tears. The three men exchanged grim looks and went hurtling towards the three boys while the women took their time, attempting to calm a-by now-hysterical Lanari.

They managed to separate the three, but not before much damage had been done. Sherri, a Troubadour, managed to patch them up, but all three would be stiff and sore in the morning. Considering that a just reward, Jekran (sr.) took his son home, after a cryptic comment to Brendan; "I think we'll be better in the north; yours are much more civilized than mine."

* * *

About a Year Later...

* * *

Lloyd and Linus looked at Lanari, all three of them solemn. "We'll see each other after training, at the latest," Lloyd said, trying to make the most of a sorry situation. He swallowed uncomfortably, not sure how to work out what he wanted. Linus solved the problem by dragging him and Lanari into a three-way hug. Lanari sobbed into the joint embrace, and the brothers were hard-pressed to not react in _some_ way.

After a few more sniffles, Lloyd again turned to Lanari and said, "Fly far, Little Hawk. Great things await us all, and we must all do our best."

Lanari pulled out her eating dagger with a strange-and, for a seven-year-old, unnatural-grimness. Carefully, she made a small mark on her palm before she offered the dagger to the other two. Recognizing the ceremony, Linus took the dagger with a marked solemnity, and made a slightly different mark on his palm. He offered the dagger to Lloyd with an expectance that overrode any protests Lloyd had been about to offer. He made a third mark on his palm, then plunged the dagger into the earth. Together, the three put there marks on the dagger hilt, and spoke the oath in order. Lanari, the "Wise One," was first.

"I bind myself to two others today, for good. May our alliance bring wisdom and knowledge to create prosperity and order. May we always use our learning for good, never for ill. Bless our alliance, scholars of old, for we come to this with good minds."

Linus, the "Warrior," went next: "I bind myself to two others today, for good. May our alliance bring fighters of honor willing to protect and not destroy. May we always use our hands for good, never for ill. Bless our alliance, warriors of old, for we come to this with good hands."

Lloyd, the "Commander," went last: "I bind myself to two others today, for good. May our alliance bring unity and good will to all lands. May we always use our selves for good, never for ill. Bless our alliance, rulers of old, for we come to this with good hearts."

Then, all three spoke the final binding together: "We bind ourselves now of our own free will. May this alliance bring nothing but good. Together we pledge our skills and our selves to the good inside people's hearts."

The three smiled as they felt the power they had called enter the dagger and dissipate into the ground. "Phew!" Linus said, in exaggerated relief. "I was afraid it wouldn't work."

"No, you weren't," Lanari said. "If you _had _doubted," she explained, "then it wouldn't have worked. Since it did, we were all completely committed. See?" she asked, holding up her hand. Her marking, the symbol for wisdom, was a silver-white scar. It would never fade, and neither would theirs-the symbol for ruler on Lloyd's, and the symbol for fighter on Linus'.

"Lloyd! Linus! Time to go!" Sherri called from the house.

"See you eventually, Lan'," Linus promised. "And don't go getting a boyfriend, or I'll have to beat him up."

"Fly, Little Hawk; fly where you will, and let none keep you a-ground. We'll see you, and you had better have some stories!" Lloyd smirked. With that, the two boys headed off.

Lanari, looking after them, murmured, "Sweet fortune follow you, brothers-in-spirit."

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Well? Whaddaya think? _I _happen to be quite proud of it, so I hope all of you enjoy it. And, please, just _drop me a line!_ I'm getting very lonely with only my nicely-toasted marshmallows (thank you, **Caleb**!) and **Fire Fanatic** for company! If you send me a line, I'll even share my marshmallows! See you next time for the REAL chapter. 


	7. Reveal

BloodyCrystal: Hey, all! Here's the next chapter of Dream Master, right on schedule. I hope you enjoy it, because I can't post next week; I'm out of town with no computer access. Total bummer, I know. But I've decided to post another interlude before I leave. Expect it on Friday or early Saturday. Also, this next interlude features Lani _and _Heath. Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: If I owned Fire Emblem, things would be very different, trust me on that. Since I don't own it, this is fanfiction, and not affiliated in any way, shape, or form with the real Fire Emblem. Thank you, have a nice day.

* * *

Ch. 4: Reveal

* * *

The three Lords-plus Pent and Louise-looked at Lani with varying degrees of surprise. "Maybe you didn't hear me correctly," the Tactician said. "I repeat, if you don't feel comfortable with the fact that I was part of Black Fang until two months before I met milady Lyndis, then feel free to put me in chains or something."

"Lani, we are upset that you didn't see fit to tell us sooner, but we still trust you. No one in this 'army' talks overmuch about their pasts, so why should you? Besides, unless you've forgotten, Legalt used to be Black Fang, too," Lyndis replied.

Louise spoke up next: "Lani, without you, we wouldn't have had a very good chance of rooting out the Jackals; we wouldn't even know about them! Just for that, Lord Pent and I are willing to overlook your past. It would have been nice if you had told even one person, but it _is_ your affair, no one else's unless _you_ choose to tell them." Pent nodded gravely, and offered the eighteen-year-old a warm smile.

Hector stood up, and started in with, "You've given us no other reason to mistrust you, so why should we start now just because you _used_ to be Black Fang? You quit two years ago, just before meeting Lyndis, so there're no problems here."

"Lani," Eliwood said, looking directly into the Tactician's wine red eyes, "we _need _you. We need to be able to trust you. And you need to know that we trust you. So we're all telling you right now: we trust you. You can ask anyone in this, well, army, and they'll give you the same answer. Even knowing that you're Black Fang, everyone here trusts you."

Lani smiled, gulping back tears of relief and gratitude. "Th-thankee kindly, m'lord Eliwood," the girl managed, before turning to surreptitiously at her eyes.

After giving her some time, the group sat down and turned to the maps. "If we go this way, these troops should..."

* * *

"What do you think Lani's going to talk about?" Rebecca asked Dart. "I mean, we all know about the whole Black Fang bit, so what else can there be?"

"Maybe she'll be fillin' us in on 'the whole Black Fang bit,'" Dart told his sister.

Just then, Lani showed up. "I'm sure many-if not all-of you are wondering why I called this meeting. Well, one of my first lessons was the Tactician must trust those under his or her command, and the commanded must be able to trust the Tactician. So, I'm going to tell you a story. Like all stories, it starts off with once upon a time...

"Once upon a time, there were four friends, two boys and two girls. They were all very close, practically siblings. They had each been trained as something different: a Berserker, a Troubadour, a Druid, and an Assassin. Ten years after they first met, the Berserker married the Troubadour, and the Druid married the Assassin. Do I hear you ask for their names? Very well. The Berserker was called Brendan Reed, the Troubadour was Sherri Bree, the Druid was Rein Green, and the Assassin was Aloa Merrn. Brendan was planning to start an unordinary mercenary troop; the one difference would be that this group only went after nobles abusing their positions. They would still be paid, there would still be companies, and there would still be the usual benefits-and lack thereof.

"Rein and Aloa pledged their children to the mercenary troop, which Rein thought should be called Crimson Fang. Keeping Rein's suggestion in mind, Brendan called the troop Black Fang, altering his original choice of Black Tiger.

"The Black Fang started up, and took on various assignments, but still the two couples had no children. Then, one day, Sherri found out she was pregnant. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who she named Lloyd. Almost exactly one year later, Sherri gave birth to a second baby boy, this one named Linus.

"By now, Rein and Aloa were desperate for a child. They went to temple to pray once a week. However, a visiting doctor told them that Aloa's old work had given her a peculiar condition. Her-" here, Lani started to blush-"cycle wasn't working properly. All that work she used to do made it so that she wouldn't-um-wouldn't-"

"Wouldn't cycle properly," Lyndis supplied.

"Right," Lani said, relief obvious in her tone. "So, they had to either get very lucky, or adopt. Rein and Aloa decided to give it three more years before they tried to adopt a child. Two years later, their efforts paid off and they had a healthy baby girl, one Lanari by name. Lloyd, Linus, and Lanari were very close. They had a friendly relationship, even if the two boys were a little over-protective.

"However, there was another mercenary group in Bern, which is where Black Fang was based right from the start; after all, Bern needed it the most. And so, the head of this other mercenary group met with Brendan six years after Lanari was born. He brought his nine-year-old son, who shared his name of Jekran-" here, some of the audience gasped-"with him. Jekran (jr.) and Lloyd-who was the same age as him-hated each other with a passion. On this visit, it degenerated into a three-way brawl-Linus joined in.

"Lanari ran screaming to the five parents, who managed to separate and heal the three boys. Jekran (sr.) made one last comment to Brendan: 'I think we'll be better in the north; yours are more civilized.' At the time, Lanari didn't understand the comment. Now, she does. It meant, 'we aren't as controlled as your group, we belong in the uncivilized north,' etc.

"A year after that incident, Lanari waved goodbye to Lloyd and Linus as they went off to training: Lloyd would become a Myrmidon, and Linus a Mercenary. In two more years, Lanari would go off to train as a Tactician. However, before Lloyd and Linus left, the three swore a powerfully binding oath, one that is known as The Triad's Oath."

Pent stood up, eyes wide. "Lani, you didn't! Do you know how binding that oath is?"

"I do, and I did. So did the other two. It is an oath that had been taught to all Black Fang members until Brendan remarried. We knew exactly what we were doing. For those who don't know, the Triad's Oath is an oath sworn by a "Wise One," a "Warrior," and a "Commander." It binds the three to an everlasting an alliance to do only good. It never shatters, even if one or two die before the other/s. It is very powerful, and very ancient. It leaves only three marks, one on each person swearing the oath." Here, Lani turned the palm of her right hand to the audience. Carved onto it, all silver-white, was a symbol. "This means wisdom. Linus had the symbol for fighter, Lloyd the one for ruler.

"Back to the story...When Lanari was twelve, she was given a command. Her company was Nadi's Knights. After one season with them, she was put back into class. About this time, Sherri died. Brendan was heartbroken-they had been incredibly close-but he didn't let that distract him from his work. However, he married a woman named Sonia just after Lanari turned thirteen. Sonia found work for Nadi's Knights, and sent them to the northern continent. Lanari prayed for their quick-and safe-return. Only the first one was granted.

"Three months after they went north, their heads were returned in a wagon." Lani started sniffling, but continued on. "Lloyd and his corps caught one of Jekran's Jackals, and we learned the whole truth: Jekran (jr.) had killed his father and taken over. When they found the Knights, they-they raped the ones they could capture, and then burned their corpses after sending the heads back to us..." Lani broke down completely, sobbing hysterically for a couple of minutes while the others whispered among themselves.

Lani scrubbed at her eyes, then looked up, ready to continue. Everyone turned their attention back to her. "Brendan considered sending a couple companies up north to root the Jackals out-as payback for N-Nadi-but _Sonia_ talked him out of it. Not long after that, Lanari noticed how much the assignments were changing-now, everyone was fair game, not just nobles who abused their positions. The Black Fang was no longer what it had been.

"Lanari declined field assignments so that she could hurry through the strenuous Tactician training. She heard that Lloyd and Linus had been given their names-oh, names were what commanders were called. Commanders got their names based on things they had done or pet names from their youth. So, Lanari heard that Linus and Lloyd had been given their names, and that Sonia had a girl-child named Nino.

"When Lanari finished her training at age seventeen, she sent two letters-one to Linus, one to Lloyd-packed up, and disappeared deeper into Bern. Her travels led her to Sacae, which compounded with her fainting in the desert, being rescued by Lyn of the Lorca Tribe, and the rest is known history." Lanari breathed deep, glad to be done. "In case anyone's wondering, the two letters basically said: 'don't look for me, I don't want to be found, I'll miss you lots, but I can't stay with the Black Fang changed so much,' and so on."

"Lani, what happened to your parents?" an anonymous voice asked.

Lani sighed, sadly. "They had two more kids, one ten years younger than me, the other fifteen years younger than me. I met them, and they're both sweet kids, and I'm glad that Mom and Dad got them out of the Black Fang. You see, Rein and Aloa had also noticed that things were changing. When Lloyd and Linus showed them their letters from Lanari, they packed up, and headed to Etruria to raise what was left of their family. By now, Aiden is eight and Rona is three. I think they were raising Rona as a Troubadour-in tribute to Sherri-and Aiden as a Thief in the hopes he'll take after Mom and become an assassin."

"One more question: why do you sometimes speak with an accent?" Louise asked.

"My dad has the same one, and I learned to speak from him because Mom worked for the Black Fang quite a bit. So, I picked it up from him. I speak 'like a noble,'" here she glanced at Heath, "because Mom said I couldn't join the Fang unless I spoke 'like a normal person.'"

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Sorry this chapter was mostly talk-and Lani's talk at that-but I had to get Lani trusted again. Also, if anyone's wondering about Lani's dream back in chapter two (Remember), that was the week before they actually left. That was them breaking the news to her. She worked really hard on her accent to impress them on their send-off, so that's why there's no accent in the last chapter for their real send-off.

Also, yes, I know I'm playing with the game storyline/timeline, not to mention things about some of the characters, but it's necessary, _and_ that's why it's called _fanfiction!_

Until next time!


	8. Interlude: Beginnings of a Partnership

BloodyCrystal: Here it is, the interlude featuring Lani and Heath. _And_it's early! Go me! Go me! Anyways...Some of you might be able to guess the scene, but we'll see about that. Remember, interlude means memory, so this happened a while ago.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem 7, and I don't expect I ever will. After all, it's a Japanese game and I'm not Japanese.

* * *

Interlude: Beginnings of a Partnership

* * *

Lani sat up sharp, breathing deep. She was scared of that nightmare, for she was worried it had something to do with her future...

The young Tactician took stock of her surroundings with a fluid ease. _We stopped at the castle of one of milord Pent's friends. His friend is letting us stay the night, and he's not even closeted with milord Pent and milady Louise because we all need a good night's sleep..._ Lani smiled slightly in remembrance of the yelling match she had engaged in about closeting Pent and Louise for reminisce about old times.

Sighing, Lani stood up, stretching in a way reminiscent of a cat. She opened the door to her room, and stepped out. Slipping among the shadows like a Thief or Assassin, the Tactician made her way to the greeting room, where she knew there was a fireplace and-more importantly-books.

She stepped into the room and started with surprise, as did the room's occupant. "Heath! What are you doing here? Why aren't you asleep?" she asked the Wyvern Lord.

"I haven't felt much like sleeping, recently," he replied. "And what about you, Lani? Why are _you_ up?"

"I-I feel like reading some of these interesting books. After all, some of them may be books on tactics or strategies. I need to be able to do my job properly, after all," the young Tactician defended.

"Are you still upset that the old goat who owns this castle said you didn't know what you were doing, were too young and inexperienced, and would make too many 'stupid' mistakes?" From the look on Lani's face, Heath knew he was right.

"I-yes." She sounded like she hated to admit it, but Heath guessed that that was because she would have preferred to appear infallible. "I rushed through my training, so yes, I'm worried I don't know what I'm doing because of it."

"How do you mean, you rushed through your training?" Heath leaned forward, highly interested. After all, Lani always tried to appear calm, collected, and, well, perfect.

"I started training as a Tactician at age nine, two years after my best friends started serious sword-training. A Tactician's training is supposed to include many 'exercises' out in the field, not to mention quite a bit of book learning. However, I skipped all but one of the field exercises. The only other one field exercise I did was in Bern. Remember that girl who asked about me? I spent a month and a half at her house, being Tactician for the local soldiers. It was my first real command, because my first field exercise was with my teacher so he could stop any _real_ mistakes from turning ugly."

"Did you ever meet your two friends again?" Heath asked.

"Yes; we crossed paths often enough, because we were training in the same general area."

"I mean after your training was done."

"Yes. I did," and there was something in Lani's voice that seemed melancholy, almost...sad. "One was still exactly the same. Unfortunately, he died shortly after I saw him again. The other had changed out of all recognition. He was bitter, and at least half-crazy. I had to lead a campaign against him, culminating with his death."

"I'm sorry I asked, Lani," Heath murmured, completely honest. After all, the Tactician looked like she might start crying. "But, Lani, you do need to sleep. You've got circles under your eyes, you're making stupid mistakes that only work because of how strong we all are, and you're practically falling asleep during planning sessions. So, please sleep."

"I can't!" the Tactician cried. She sounded so young that Heath did a double-take. He had never before realized how young the Tactician was, and he was sure that no one except Lady Lyndis had a good idea of _exactly_ how old Lani was.

"Why not?" Heath asked, patiently. _There's no way it's as bad as my nightmare, but it doesn't hurt to ask._

Lani turned slightly pink and looked at the floor. "I have...a nightmare. It...scares me...half to death. I can't sleep without having it."

Heath stared at her in wide-eyed amazement. _Did I suddenly grow three heads, or something?_

"You have a nightmare, too!" the Wyvern Lord blurted.

Lani's eyes widened considerably. To hear someone else tell her that they also had one...Lani opened her mouth to ask, but then shut it. After all, 'what is it' is a very personal question.

Having solved the enigma of the other early riser, the two began a conversation meant to keep them from falling into their own private nightmares. This quest would prove fruitless as they were both simply too tired, and the pair succumbed to the sweet oblivion that is sleep...

* * *

Lani woke at dawn, and started when she realized that not only had she slept, she had slept peacefully. _What was different tonight?_ Then, she realized two things: that her and Heath were curled around each other on a cozy red couch, and that he was _asleep_! "Heath," she murmured. He came to immediately, then stared at her.

"Did I just-?"

"Yes. You were just sleeping. I was until a few moments ago. And we both slept peacefully..." she trailed off thoughtfully.

"Why don't we try this experiment again?" he asked with a grin.

"One of us will have to always have no roommate," she reminded him.

"I think we can do that," came the optimistic reply.

"After all, if we can both sleep peacefully..." they both trailed off together. Realizing what they had done, the two threw back their heads and laughed themselves senseless, barely able to stop before the others woke up...

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Well? What do you think? I think it's pretty cool, but that's just me. Anyways, please review. And I'll see you next time! 


	9. React

BloodyCrystal: Okay, okay, so it's a bit late. Sorry, but I was learning how to play mah-jongg. _Such_ a good game. I got a little too involved, and, before I knew it, it was eleven-something at night. Anyways, here's chapter five. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword or any of its characters or places.

* * *

Ch. 5: React

* * *

Lani stared at the newly-ruined maps, tears eking out of wine red eyes in silent despair. _It's not fair!_ the eighteen-year-old Tactician thought in mounting frustration. Lately in Eliwood's Army, everything that could go wrong did, and-to add insult to injury-in the most blatant ways possible.

"Murphy, I hate you?" a quiet voice behind her suggested. Lani jumped into the air, landing with a hand clutching her chest. "Sorry, Lan'; didn't mean to freak you."

Lani turned to stare into Heath's pale gray eyes. "Y-yes, of course. I'm fine." Then, his earlier comment sank in. Lani nodded grimly, a dangerous look in her eyes; "Yes; I _hate_ Murphy! 'Everything that can go wrong will,' indeed!" The teenager snorted in disgust before continuing, "It's as if our opponent is ill-wishing us..." She allowed her statement to trail off, both Tactician and Wyvern Lord pondering the absent-minded comment.

"Is it _possible_?" Heath asked, barely breathing. At Lani's wide-eyed shrug, the Wyvern Lord grabbed his friend's hand, ignoring the sensations it sent thrumming through his body. He yanked the girl up, dragging her behind him with a shout of, "Then let's ask the others. C'mon, Lan'!"

Heath raced down the corridors, not even paying attention to where he was going. Lani noticed the door to the common area of the wing Lady Louise's friend had lent them coming closer. She braced herself, an idle thought trailing across her mind: _For every action, there must be an equal-and opposite-_re_action..._

Three seconds later, the two lay sprawled on the floor, Lani on top of Heath. Heath was holding his head with one hand while his mouth let off a string of very inventive curse words about the door, its lineage, its maker, and its sexual prowess and preferences. Lani giggled slightly, then started laughing her head off. Heath glared at her, the flow of profanity stopping as an evil idea came to his mind.

"Shit!" Lani cried as she tried to stand. "It wasn't nice dumping me onto the floor, Heath!" she informed the smirking Wyvern Lord. Then, she cocked her head at him. "Are you okay? You hit the door pretty hard..." The Tactician moseyed over to him, her hands and eyes examining his head for bruises.

The Wyvern Lord colored ever-so-slightly at her proximity, but shook her off. "I'm fine, Lan'. Now let's get going; we've got to find out!" He pushed himself up, then offered Lani a hand up. She accepted, using his hand as a lever.

"Sure, sure. Just make sure you don't try to kiss the door again, or I may get jealous!" she taunted.

Heath shook his head, and opened the door. "Ladies first, Lan'." The poison-filled glare she leveled on him for _that_ comment was worth it. "I win that round," he murmured for Lani's ear alone as he let the door shut behind him.

* * *

Everyone was pouring over any book they could get their hands on. After all, they just _had_ to find out if this was possible. If someone could be ill-wished, then they needed to find a way to stop it, and soon-Florina had come dangerously close to disaster when a crate almost fell on her!

Everyone was working hard and long, with Matthew going into nearby towns to try and get information. No luck was forthcoming. Hector's already thin temper was deteriorating, Lyndis was on edge, and even Eliwood, Lady Louise, and Lord Pent were getting frustrated.

"If only..." Lani murmured.

"If only, what?" Lyndis almost snapped.

"If only we had access to some kind of Elibe-famous library. That would be the answer to our prayers, because it would probably have what we need..."

"Lani, you're a genius!" Lyndis cried in delight. The Blade Lord dashed from the room screaming, "Lord Pent! Lady Louise! I need your help with something..."

* * *

Eliwood's Army stood staring down at Regelay, Lord Pent and Lady Louise's home. "Come," Lord Pent said, "we must hurry if we are to not take much time from our 'quest.'"

They spent a fortnight there, perusing the books. To most people's chagrin, it was Nino who found what they were looking for. At the end of a fortnight, the young Mage came running into the common room, a slim forest green book tucked under one arm. "Lord Eliwood! Lanari! I think I found what we're looking for!"

Lani smiled at the green-haired girl, touched that Nino would put her in the same category as Linus and Lloyd-trusted and respected, but much loved. "Thank you, Nino," Lani told the younger girl. She opened the book to the page Nino had been saving, and began to read, "'When one should ill wish you, make you sure to'...What does that say? Please hold on...Ah! Here we are. '...Make you sure to hold crystal, emerald, or jade on your person or beast. Thus you ensure incorruptibility, which shall keep ill luck from corrupting your passage...' Phew, but that was a mouthful!"

Lady Louise stood up, saying, "Your pardon, but I shall go find enough of those gemstones to outfit us all. Many thanks, Nino." With that, she headed upstairs to where the jewelry was kept, her thoughts swirling and settling on one thing: _I don't care how many pieces of jewelry I destroy for their gemstones; I'll destroy every piece up there if it means everyone's protected from that mad man and his power._

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Sorry, but that's all for now; I have to get going if I'm going to be ready for camp tomorrow...Remember, no updates until August 5th/6th at the earliest. Oh, and the three gemstones mentioned really do promote incorruptibility-of morals/ethics. Fare thee well! 


	10. Regroup

BloodyCrystal: Hey. After this update, they're going to become more sporadic, because of a combo of swim team-we practice six days a week-and school, not to mention temple and dance, plus whatever clubs I join. Sorry, but that's life.

Also, this story is about to become a bit more spiritual/sci-fi/fantasy. Sorry, but it has to be. So, no crap about what's about to happen, and enjoy the new characters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword, and the fortune teller I saw Thursday said it wasn't likely to happen in this lifetime.

* * *

Ch. 6: Regroup

* * *

The man snarled and threw the crystal scrying stone across the room. The globe-shaped crystal shattered when it hit the wall. The panther-man started pacing, upsetting random objects out of pique. He had every reason to be upset-anyone in his position would have been raging with fury long before this, because he prided himself on iron control and-_nearly-_implacable patience. And yet, and yet...The two he had been watching _should_ have been his by now! _How_ were the twain doing it? _How_? Curse the pair of them, their little trick shouldn't have worked this long!

Damn the pair of them to the nine hells and back!

* * *

Xiao Fa stretched luxuriously, enjoying the welcoming scent of spices that filled the air in her bedroom. _Her _bedroom. Such a wonderful thing, to be able to have a private one, despite being married for two hundred years to King Siwan. It was horrible, being married to her own half-brother, whom she happened to somewhat despise, and somewhat love. _Make up your mind, Xiao, _she told herself. _Do you hate Siwan, or do you love him?_

It wasn't as if they were near each other a lot, seeing as how both had separate kingdoms to oversee. _And yet..., _the nagging voice in her mind whispered. And yet, they still had to share a bedroom-and bed-when they were together, which was more and more often now that things were-once again-heating up with the mortals and the Forsaken.

At the thought of the Forsaken-those who gave up being Fey in order to become human-Xiao Fa shuddered. _Not something I_ _would do, even if I were allowed to. I can't believe that fire Fey, what's-his-name, gave it up, just for the chance to be a human from age fifteen on. Disgusting, that's what it is._

The High Queen of Syln-Orn stood up ever-so-slowly and sauntered down towards dinner. _And business,_ said the nagging little voice. And business, she quietly agreed.

* * *

Lyrithryn shifted, one large, fire-orange-yellow slit eye opening as a younger dragon bustled around, carefully sweeping up the King's Suite. The King of the dragons stood up, stretching, and smirking-just a tad-when the youngster started apologizing profusely. "Enough. Go tend to our side of the Dragon's Gate. I wish to make sure no more follow young Arininian and her brother. I only wish that we had known that they planned to use it to cross to the human side earlier." Ryn-as she was more commonly known-sighed in regret.

"Of course, Your Majesty! I'll get right on it!" And, with that, the lime green dragon hurried out to do his King's bidding.

It's good to be the King, Ryn thought as she curled up and went back to sleep.

* * *

Aronea, High Earl of Hargreene, scowled at the dispatch he had just received. "Who does this fool 'Dream Master' think he is, trying to buy me and mine?" the incubus snarled to an empty room. "I'll show him! His enemies would be a better group to join, so I do believe I shall do just that! Besides, anyone with half a brain can see that it's better to join 'Eliwood's Army' then this 'Dream Master.'"

Still muttering about the temerity of a "self-styled Dream Master," Aronea began writing a letter to this human called Eliwood and his army.

* * *

Eliwood's Army had finally finished with the Jackals and their allies, and were enjoying a few scant days of rest. After all, it would only get harder as they approached their enemy. A few days to gather themselves was just what the doctor ordered.

And so, they lazed about, reading, sleeping, fishing, training, talking, playing chess, and all manner of other things. The only sign of actual problems was a strange tension and the pendants-made of crystal, jade, and emerald-that they all wore to dispel ill-wishing on the part of their erstwhile enemy.

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Sorry it's so short, but I'm short on time-and ideas-so this is all you get for right now. Next time will hopefully be longer, but no promises seeing as how school starts soon. See you next time! 


	11. Realign

BloodyCrystal: Hey, all! I'm back with chapter 7! And it promises to hold even more new creatures. So, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, and I never will, okay? Thank you.

* * *

Ch. 7: Realign

* * *

Lyrithryn sighed wearily as she entered the meeting that Siwan had called. Already, she could see the ruler of Tirnan-on-High sitting in his seat, his half-sister-and wife-, High Queen Xiao Fa, was sitting beside him. King Syren and Queen Tayln of the fey sat beside Lady Queen Leika of the angels, and Princess Regent Sylvar of the fairies and pixies perched at the Lady Queen's other side. Lord Riern of the Daione Sidhe sat beside his cousin, Siwan, and Lord Regent Tredelns of the sprites and spirits was just taking his seat.

Aronea, High Earl of Hargreene and ruler of the incubi, was twirling his wine glass idly, chatting with Xiao Fa, a childhood friend of his. Baroness Mirin of the vampires was slowly pulling her hood down, seeing as the lights in the room were dim. The zombie chair next to her was open, seeing as there were no more zombies around; Leika had seen to _that_ quite recently. Lord Saaya, of the demons, reclining in her chair, nodded to the King of the Dragons as she entered-kindred spirits deserved recognition; both had gotten grief because of their non-gender titles that the two races believed in, thus causing confusion when one expected a male and got a female. Zherka, current leader of the ogres, was snoring, probably because his people weren't up until nightfall on normal days. Kree and Shri, co-pack leaders of the werewolves, were also notably tired.

Mistress Tryna and Master Lyrn of the bird-kin were talking to the people next to them-Rose-Eye of the centaurs for Tryna, Count Collin of the magic-users for Lyrn-and pointedly ignoring each other, as was usual for the two wildly different husband-and-wife duo. Kirei of the werecats was sitting in her human form, eyes fixed on a mouse scurrying across the table. Hyrol Skyrkae of the gryphons was sitting in the hollowed out middle reserved for the only "creature" who couldn't take a human form to sit on a chair with. The Lord of the Skies was bubbling with indignation, probably concerning the impetuous letter from this self-styled Dream Master. Arin, the kelpie ruler, was squirming uncomfortably. _Probably misses his precious water,_ Lyrithryn thought uncharitably. But then, the kelpies and dragons weren't exactly on good terms at the moment.

The dragon had thought she was the last to arrive, but Lady Yane of the changelings came bounding up the stairs just as Ryn changed into her human form and sat down.

"Finally," Siwan stated. "Now, we need to discuss this 'Dream Master'..."

* * *

Siwan caught Aronea's arm before the incubus could leave. "Thank you for withholding your letter of alliance to Eliwood until after we had this meeting, Aronea."

"No problem, Siwan; I was just a bit ticked when I first got that presumptuous human's letter."

"As we all were, Aronea, as we all were. And as it should be, I'll tell you. Now, if you'll excuse me?"

"Of course, Siwan; I understand your need to draft a reply to the Dream Master and a starting/introduction letter to this 'Eliwood' character."

* * *

Eliwood's Army was traveling again, and, like normal, there were some complaints about the modes of travel. "Put me down, Brother! I _do_ know how to walk, you know!" Rebecca informed Dart.

"Yes, but you're too slow, _and_ you tire too easily. Therefore, I have to carry you. Look, Wil's getting a ride, and so's Lady Lyndis," Dart told the squirming bundle he had oh-so-casually chucked over his shoulder.

Sure enough, Lyn was scowling from her spot in Hector's arms. From the look on Hector's face, she was giving Marquess Ostia's brother a scathing tongue-lashing, one that was both long and impressive, a feat in and of itself. Eliwood was talking to Ninian-seated on the saddle in front of him-about something, and Nils was getting a ride on Hawkeye's shoulder.

Wil, who had hitched a ride with Sain, was laughing at Erk, who was turning a bright red as he spoke to Priscilla, seated in front of him on their horse. Serra, riding pillion with Lowen, was fuming, and Lucius-polite as always-was talking with-or rather, at-Raven, who was carrying the Bishop.

Renault rode-and talked-with Marcus, while Pent and Louise had hitched a ride with Merlinus and Nino. Matthew, Guy, Karla, Karal, Legault, and Jaffar ran alongside, unburdened so that the Thief, Swordmasters, and Assassins-respectively-could keep up. Dorcas rode behind Fiora, while Farina carried Bartre. Oswin and General Wallace paced side-by-side, with Geitz just in front of them.

Harken strode alongside Isadora, who shared her perch with Canas. Florina flew between her sisters, and Vaida flew slightly above them. Heath kept closer to the ground, but then he was sharing Hyperion with Lani, who needed to be near to the "command group."

All in all, it was a normal set-up for the group's travel.

However, the normal, boring day was about to be broken by a rather common event that occurred in a very _un_usual way.

It started with the arrival of a sparrow-hawk that chose to land on the ground in front of the "Army." Then, the bird turned into a young woman with close-cropped dark red-brown hair, piercing gold eyes, and dressed in a utilitarian-style gray shirt and charcoal-colored pants and zipped jacket-shirt with sleeves to her wrists. She looked at them, and said, "A message from the Non-human Council I bear. Eliwood, Marquess of Pherae, the Non-human Council-which includes magic-users, bird-kin, dragons, fey, fairies, pixies, sprites, spirits, Aes Sidhe, Daoine Sidhe, angels, kelpies, changelings, gryphons, centaurs, werecats, werewolves, ogres, demons, vampires, incubi, and Seven Deadly Sins people-alliance against the Dream Master would with you make. Representatives of several races meet with you will, if accept you do." She tilted her head to the right, and looked at them expectantly.

At about that time, all hell broke loose. Different members of the army were clambering for different things, and it made for a deafening cacophony. "QUIET!" Hector roared over all the noise. When that state was reached, he said, "Go ahead, Eliwood."

"Thank you, Hector," the red-haired Lord said. "Now," he directed to the bird-woman, "will you kindly give us some time to discuss your offer, Miss?" At her nod, he turned to the others and said, "Now, let us try to sort through our options in a _peaceful_ manner..."

* * *

Eliwood approached the bird-woman, who had waited quite patiently-in the exact same spot-for the three and a half hours it had taken him and his "army" to discuss her offer. "Miss, we accept the Non-human Council's offer, and look forward to their envoys. However, we don't have time to look nice or be diplomatic..."

"Fine, that is," she said. "Depart now I will. Give your answer to the Council I must." With that, she turned back into a bird and flapped off.

"I have a feeling that life is about to become very interesting right about now," Lani murmured as she watched the bird-kin woman fly off.

* * *

BloodyCrystal: What do you think? Pretty cool, or pretty lame? I love feedback, even if it's short, so please, please, PLEASE send me a line! Until next time!


	12. Relax

BloodyCrystal: Heya! Sorry about the late update, but I have some really good reasons:

A) I just had my first swim meet-BTW, we won by six points

B) I've been sick all week

C) I found out that part of my sickness is allergies

D) I found out that I've got asthma, and that it'll possibly effect my swimming

E) My couch called extra practices

F) School started up again

Those are my reasons, and-to me, at least-they're big ones. Anyways, enjoy another chappy.

Disclaimer: As always, I don't own Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword or anything associated with it. Oh, and I don't own the idea of changelings-I'm borrowing it from Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar series.

* * *

Ch. 8: Relax

* * *

The panther-man, a predator to the last, glared into his new scrying crystal, idly playing with the shards of the old one. "Damn them!" he roared. The servant-slaves passing by his door cowered and hurried past. All in his castle scurried to be out of his way, fearing that the Master would take his fury out on them.

He paced, upsetting things that had been specifically placed for just this reason. Then, the shards he was tossing around clinked, giving him the perfect idea. He rang for a servant-slave. The man entered, hesitantly, and bowed, asking, "How might this unworthy serve, Master?"

"Bring me the Hawks of Hell," the man smirked. The servant-slave cowered even further at the mention of the terrible group who served the Master, and the Master alone. The servant-slave couldn't help but pity whoever the Master wanted to see that much-after all, the Hawks of Hell were the Master's best abductors.

* * *

Ever since the new alliance, Lani had been more and more exhausted by the rigorous duties required of the Tactician in any army, let alone one with such an important mission. She couldn't sleep much, either, as Heath was often out on scouting duty as they got closer and closer to Eirelm-Mea. Not to mention, attacks got more and more frequent.

It almost made her wish for "the good old days," when it had been fun and games with Lloyd and Linus in-between bouts of training.

Lani tore her eyes away from the patch of sky she could see peering in through the tent flap, and forced her attention back to the book on tactics.

* * *

Eliwood nodded, and said, "Thank you for your time, Lady Yane." He shook hands with the changeling lady, no longer so much as twitching at the thought of shaking hands with the strange-looking woman. After all, it wasn't everyday that a woman with mottled brown skin and gray-brown hair that looked more like fur than anything showed up to discuss treaties with a human lord.

"You're quite welcome, Lord Eliwood, and the pleasure is mine," the change-mountain cat practically purred as she rolled up her copy of the treaty. She nodded to him one last time, then turned and bounded off.

Eliwood sighed in relief that the meetings were over-for now, at any rate-and turned to watch "his" army.

Rebecca, Dart, Wil, and Geitz were hunched in a group, discussing something as they shot furtive glances in Hector's direction. Eliwood, deciding he didn't like the look of the evil-seeming smirks the four sported, made a mental note to avoid Hector's company while watching from a distance-just because he didn't want to be "attacked" didn't mean he couldn't enjoy the show, after all.

* * *

"C'mon, Wil!" Dart hissed. "Just do your part, and th' rest'll work out fine."

"Don't you mean perfectly?" Rebecca shot back.

"Whatever," Wil snapped. "Just make sure the lot of you back me up, or I'm calling it quits and telling Lord Hector!"

"Stop arguing and get to it," Geitz rumbled. Wil nodded, and slipped off to put the first part of their plan in action.

"Dinner's gonna be fun tonight," Dart smirked.

* * *

Xiao Fa smirked at her half-brother/husband, and her smirk only grew as Siwan returned the favor. "Something please you, sister mine?" Siwan queried.

"As a matter of fact, yes. The sex last night was wonderful. I especially enjoyed starting in the shower, you know," the High Queen of Syln-Orn replied rather silkily.

"Care to continue our new-found...interest?" Siwan murmured, subtly weaving hints of the seduction talents inherited from their father into his already husky voice.

"Any time, dearest," Xiao Fa purred, using her own talents in her response as she leaned in for the passion-filled kiss Siwan always started with. After all, their sex was passionate and fierce, not at all tender and gentle.

* * *

Lani was still laughing when she climbed into bed that night. "What happened?" Heath asked. After all, he had been on patrol and had missed dinner's entertainment, courtesy of Rebecca, Wil, Dart, Geitz, and-unwillingly-Hector.

"Rebecca, Wil, Dart, and Geitz played a trick on milord Hector," Lani informed the Wyvern Lord. "It ended with milord Hector not a little drunk after having been in a rigged drinking contest with Wil. Milord got up onto the table and started singing and dancing!" Here, the normally serene Tactician broke down in hysterical laughter.

Seconds later, the Wyvern Lord joined her as he pictured the scene.

"That's not all!" Lani added. "He asked milady Lyndis to join him! Well, he actually said, 'C'mon, Lyn; live a little and sing!' Well, the words were slurred, but you get the idea, Heath. It was so funny when she hit him with her plate!"

"Did the plate break on Lord Hector's hard head?" Heath asked wickedly. At Lani's disapproving look, he shrugged and added, "You know that we don't always see eye to eye, Lan'."

"I know, but please try," the Tactician said, sitting down on the twain's bed. "And no, the plate didn't break."

Heath looked disappointed for about five seconds, before he brightened and said, "At least he was still embarrassed!"

* * *

BloodyCrystal: Sorry it was short, but I've been having a mild case of writer's block since getting sick/allergies/asthma, but I'm getting over it. Until then, sorry, but you might have something of a wait until the next chapter-if anyone besides **Fire Fanatic** even cares, that is. Until next time, have a good long weekend. 


	13. Interlude: Something More

BloodyCrystal: Hey, all! Sorry about the late update, but homework plus swim meets plus swim practice plus driving plus fighting with parents plus sister equals BAD! I've had no time at all! So, here is my late, short chapter. Yes, it's an interlude, meaning memory. And yes, this is pure waff for the main pairing. Deal with it. If you're not interested in pure fluff, then don't read this, and wait for my next chapter, which I'm not making ANY promises about regarding time. Anyways, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem; if I did, there would be so much more to it!

* * *

Interlude: Something More...

* * *

Heath glanced down at the slumbering angel next to him. It would be a shame to wake her up, especially when she was slumbering so peacefully. He just didn't have the heart to wake her up at dawn, even though she'd asked him to do so very nicely. Heath lay back down next to Lani, smiling slightly as she immediately curled up into his warmth. Just a few more moments, Heath decided sleepily. However, dreamland reclaimed him as soon as his eyes fluttered closed... 

Lani sneezed, and woke up. She looked at her nose, and saw Heath's hair tickling it. She smiled tenderly as she gazed at the sleeping face of the Wyvern Lord. So peaceful, the young Tactician thought. It's true what they say-sleeping adults look like younger versions of themselves. Lani gently brushed a strand of Heath's green hair off his face, pleased that the shy, reserved Wyvern Lord trusted her enough to fall asleep with only her to guard him. After all, she was no fighter. The fact that he was one of the fighters she looked up to only strengthened the Tactician's pleasure at Heath's trust in her capabilities. Then, she noticed the light pouring in through the window.

"What on earth-Heath!" the girl wailed. The Wyvern Lord sat up like a shot, eyes trained on the door, hand on his lance. When he saw her, Heath sheepishly put his lance down, and gave her his full attention. "You promised to wake me at dawn, not noon!"

Heath held up a hand to stop any further tirade, and then told Lani, "You need your sleep, or you'll make mistakes when you give us our orders. And you hate making mistakes, Lan', so I figured a little extra shuteye would help. Now you can yell at me," he added in a stage whisper.

Lani giggled, and shook her head, "No, it's okay. Thank you for looking out for me, Heath." The smile she shot him made the Wyvern Lord's heart contract, and his stomach do flips. He flushed slightly, but gave the Tactician a smile in return.

* * *

Lani stared at the maps, unable to concentrate. The face of a certain Wyvern Lord-sleeping peacefully beside her-kept intruding on the Tactician's work. Lani smiled as she thought of Heath, blood red eyes glazing over as her face lit up. 

Lani shook herself awake when she realized that she was daydreaming about a man twice her age, if she was any judge. _And besides, it's bad for my reputation if I'm caught crushing on anyone..._ The teenager sighed in regret; it had always been fun to laugh with Nadi about crushes. Lani pinched herself, hard, and set back to work. And yet..._Twice my age! _she screamed at herself. _...But so very handsome...

* * *

_

Heath blinked away the image of Lani smiling at him, trying to rid himself of the young woman's effect on him. However, the Wyvern Lord's mind kept returning to a certain purple-haired teenager with brilliant red eyes. 

Heath snarled and rammed his lance into the dummy several times, angry at himself for even _starting_ to think of the young Tactician that way. _It's not like you deserve her, at any rate; not with all the crimes on your head,_ he reminded the part of him that was still quivering with delight from Lani's smile. _And she's too young. It would be cradle-robbing, and that's one crime I _don't _have hanging over my head, and one that I don't plan to have hanging over my head._ Heath sighed as he went back to practice. _If only she wasn't exactly what I've always wanted...

* * *

_

BloodyCrystal: Sorry it's so short, but I have to steal time for this as it is. I don't have anything for the next chapter, so absolutely no promises. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please, please, please just DROP ME A LINE! Even if it's only one word, I adore reviews, and all will be snuggled and cuddled. Except flames, which are used for marshmallows, and medurah bonfires (Ring of fire! Ring of fire! Ring of fire!)! "See" you whenever! 


	14. Revenge

**BloodyCrystal:** Hey, all. Here's a longer-than-usual chapter to make up for all my short chappies and late updates. Many thanks to** Fire Fanatic** for her wonderful ideas that she's letting me use. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: As usual, I own nada.

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Ch. 9: Revenge

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Lani looked up as Marcus rode in. "Army ahead!" the Paladin shouted. Lani stood up immediately as everyone grabbed up weapons and armor and saddled mounts. Eliwood's horse came charging up behind her, and she jumped on, using Eliwood's outstretched hand as a guide-after all, they'd done this maneuver so many times that by now it was pure reflex. 

Eliwood rode in front of the others, his horse urged into a gallop. Lani stared at the approaching troops before deciding on a battle plan.

"Lancers, fall back-those are axe troops! Flyers, hang back for a bit until the bowmen are gone! Magic-users, fall in! Healers, hang back but stay with us! Go!" the Tactician cried, voice pitched at what Lloyd and Linus had always jokingly called "announcer level" when she used it on them.

Then, the battle was joined. Sometime during the fighting, Lani slipped off of Eliwood's horse and followed individual fighters around-it made for interesting views of the battle, and allowed her as much mobility as possible. Besides, Tacticians were trained to dodge blows, so she wasn't too worried.

Lani was just starting to think how easily won the battle was going to be when she found herself-and Pent and Louise-surrounded by enemy fighters-ones whom she hadn't seen at the start of the battle. A chill ran down the girl's spine-these were professionals, real ones, who knew exactly what they were doing. The others saw their plight and began racing towards them, but they were hampered by other enemy fighters. The flyers and horse-riders were making the fastest progress, but it wasn't enough. _We'll be dead before they get here_, Lani realized with a feeling of growing dread.

Her bad feeling increased when the enemy fighters started working on separating the three. Lani soon found herself cut off from Pent and Louise, with those two closer to their oncoming friends, and her closer to the woods that these fighters had materialized out of.

Lani dodged their first attempts to grab her; she was faster and more agile than they had originally thought. The men redoubled their efforts, and one of them grabbed hold of her, pinioning her arms to her sides. Another shoved a foul-smelling gag over her mouth.

Lani's last sight before she blacked out was a glimpse of Heath's terrified expression before all went black.

* * *

Heath pushed Hyperion to the wyvern's limits when he saw Lani fall forward into the hands of the dark-clothed men. But it was to no avail-they vanished-with Lani-as secretly as they had originally appeared. Heath collapsed against Hyperion's saddle, barely restraining the tears threatening to fall at the capture of the young Tactician that he cared too much for. 

Lyn screamed a war cry, diving at the men who had prevented her from reaching her friend in time to do something. Even her allies backed up at Lyn's ferocity in dealing with what was left of the afternoon attackers. Hector was the only one to stay near her, trying to rein the Blade Lord in before she accidentally injured one of their own.

But they all felt the same way as Lyn. Lani hadn't just been their Tactician; she had been their _friend_, and now she was captured by an enemy worse than Nergal. Everyone was struggling to rein in the killing impulse that Lyn and some of the others had given in to. Others-like Heath-had collapsed in shock, horrified that this enemy would break the Neutrality Compact that decreed Tacticians immune from death/punishment/harm during/after a fight.

* * *

When everyone reconvened after the battle for a conference, it was with heavy hearts. "We have to think with our heads," Eliwood announced before opening it. "That is what Lani would want, and we should honor what her wishes would be. I declare this open to discussion. First, the pros for rescuing Lani, then the cons. Lord Pent, you have the floor." 

"Thank you, Eliwood. Now, a major pro is..."

Heath ignored the discussion completely. He appeared to be listening-not to mention indifferent-, but inside he was steaming. _How can they treat this like it's just another battle? If our enemy is the man from my dreams, then Lani needs help, and she needs it _now._ The others might say I'm biased since we help each other sleep at night, but she needs to be rescued before he does something to her!_

Heath tuned in for long enough to hear the cons being discussed, and scoffed mentally at one of them. 'Without a Tactician, we're screwed," indeed! _Did this _genius_ forget that our Tactician happens to be the one we need to rescue?_ As Heath continued listening, he realized that the others were going to continue to pussyfoot around the issue for a few days._Damn it, but Lani doesn't have a 'few days.' She's got hours, if that, and these idiots won't do a damn thing! Well, if they won't, I will,_ Heath decided. With that decision firmly in mind, Heath began to plan for his "outing."

_

* * *

_In the dead of night, the sentries still looked outwards for disturbances, not inward. So the shadow that lifted off from inside the circle of tents was not observed at all. It wasn't even noticed when it spiraled up, before turning southwest and flying out. 

Heath clung to Hyperion with his knees while his hands situated his lances and his mind worked on strategies based on the map Lani had that he had "borrowed" earlier in the evening. The map was lying out on his bed, and the others would figure out what happened very easily, but that-as the infamous "they" said-was that.

Heath clung to the cloud cover, as he knew it could mean the difference between life and death.

* * *

A man, guarding his Lord's Keep, stopped briefly, removing his helmet. He lay the helmet on the rock next to him, and placed his sword-a lance-reaver-next to the rock. He carefully uncorked the flask at his hip and began to drink. He had just finished the flask when a dark shape appeared out of the night. Before the guard could sound the alarm, his head fell off his neck, landing on the ground.

Heath carefully cleaned his lance on his "opponent's" corpse, silently thinking a short-but respectful-prayer for the Mercenary.

Heath left Hyperion in the now-guardless glade, telling the wyvern, "Stay here until I return with Lani. If I-" Heath stopped himself there, shaking his head. "If either we're both not here or _she's_ not here by dawn, go back to the camp. I hope you understand this, Hyperion. Lani's life could depend on this, you scaly heap." A lump caught at the Wyvern Lord's throat; Hyperion was very dear to him, and he would be very upset if something happened to the wyvern-scaly heap or no.

Heath slipped in by foot, leaving seemingly random guards dead. In actuality, he was using the little-known Bern tactic of zigzagging. Heath was positive that this unknown enemy would either not hear of this, or would not know what it was or what it meant.

Heath slipped into the castle proper through a tiny wicker gate. He used the shadows cast by lantern-light to ease his way through the narrow alcoves and passageways of the state-of-the-art building. Heath worked his way down to the basement, where the dungeons were. He saw that only one cell was currently in use, and that there were no guards.

_Strange,_ he thought_. You'd think that there'd be at least one guard…Unless _he's_ having her visit his chambers…_

Heath stopped by the only cell in use, and peered in. Moonlight pouring in the barred window illuminated a scene straight out of Hell.

Lani, looking-strangely enough-like some sort of angel, was chained to the wall by her wrists. She crouched on the floor, trying desperately to wrap her body into a curled up ball. The Tactician was bleeding-badly-from knife cuts of varying lengths. She looked almost like some sacrificial victim with the way the knife cuts were so precise.

Standing over her, holding a knife that dripped crimson onto the stone floor, was a man Heath had long thought dead. And this man-no, this hell-spawn in man's guise was the man who they had been fighting all along. And that explained more than a few discrepancies that had puzzled Heath-until now, that is.

Heath watched in fascinated horror as his once-friend cut a shallow cut-just deep enough to draw blood-along Lani's belly. Then, he wiped the blade across her forehead. "Look, it matches your eyes, my dear Tactician," he smirked at her. Then, without turning around, he added, "Enjoying the show, Heath? Does it remind you of the blood we bathed in all those years ago? Such a glorious crimson, it does excite me so. What about you, my once-friend? Does blood still draw the passion into your veins?" When Heath didn't answer, Renj calmly announced, "Throw my was-friend into the cell across from this one; make it so that the two can see each other." With that, he sauntered out of the cell and up the stairs.

Heath made no move as the once-hidden guards grabbed him and dragged him-none too gently-to the cell indicated by Renj. He made no sound as they chained him high enough to see-and be seen by-Lani. How could he, when Lani had looked at him with such shock and terror in her eyes?

How could he ever forgive himself for scaring the one human who meant the world and more to him?

* * *

**BloodyCrystal: **Well, how do you like it? I worked hard, even if part of the ending belongs to **Fire Fanatic**. Thanks to her for part of the ending, and for forcing me to include both captures in the chapter and not splitting it up like I originally intended. I most definitely like it better with both captures, so much thanks. The next chapter will be out whenever I have time, and sorry that it takes so long, but swim season is in full swing right now, meaning six days of practice (unless there's a meet) and up to two practices a day. That's my only reason, but it's a good one, so kindly don't yell at me about it. Please review, and I'll "see" you when I "see" you. 


	15. Reminisce

**BloodyCrystal:** Hey, all; me back. I hope you didn't have to wait too long, but be thankful it wasn't six/seven months, followed by a note saying that it was the last chapter and the story was being discontinued-yes, I got something like that, and yes, it sucks major. Now, I'm glad that at least four people seem to be enjoying my story, so I'll keep writing it for those four; heck, I'd keep writing it if _no one_ was reading it, I like writing this so much. Please note, ideas are welcome, _provided_ you understand that the idea(s) might or might not be used. You will get credit if I use your idea, unless you don't want the credit (yes, there are people like this).

**

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Disclaimer:** I don't own it, so please don't sue. All ideas are either mine or **Fire Fanatic's.

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**Ch. 10: Reminisce

* * *

Heath stared morosely at the ground, trying to ignore Renj's voice, filtering through from Lani's cell. He tried to ignore what Renj was recounting about his deeds-and their past-but it wasn't working; his once-friend's voice was still coming through. 

"Let me tell you a story, Little Tactician," Renj's voice purred as he sat on a cushion in front of Lani. "It takes place quite a while ago. Not too long ago, but not much before now.

"The kingdom of Bern had just recently gotten a new ruler, King Desmond. Now, his brother, Prince Desman, wanted the throne. So, he did what most would do, and started a revolution against his brother. You learned about it, I believe, by the name of Desman's Revolt. I see by the light in your eyes that you do recognize it. At any rate, Desman's Revolt-and the 'clean-up duty' that followed it-is the reason that two mercenary groups were formed: the Black Fang, and Jekran's Jackals. However, you know that story, so let's focus on what the military was doing at the time.

"The regular infantry was doing the best that it could, but it simply wasn't enough. The cavalry could only be in so many places, and they were being stretched thin. Thusly, it came down to the Wyvern troops to handle it-after all, they had the best mobility and could easily reach far-off packets of resistance to King Desmond's rule. So, the Wyvern troops went on a recruiting spree, and pressed their recruits as hard as was possible. Now, two of those pressed hard were a pair of best friends: Heath Tyien and Renj Urndzt. These two were already done with their training and had completed one year of work before the Revolt started. They had exceptional skills, and their superiors quickly made them co-leaders of a troop of recruits who had just finished training.

"Now, these two-apart from being friends-had very similar views about the duty owed to the crown and about obedience to all orders given out. Because of this, there were few to no quarrels about their troop's missions. This left them more time to focus on coordinating their unit, and soon they were a force to be reckoned with, and one of the better squads."

Renj shifted on his cushion, and casually sipped at the tea he had brought with him. Then, he picked up his story as if he had never left off: "By now, King Desmond was getting desperate, so he ordered his troops to use 'any means necessary.' The army commanders took that to a whole new level: villages that sided-or were suspected of siding-with Prince Desman were razed to the ground, their inhabitants tortured, beaten, raped. Everyone in the army used these methods, angered by Prince Desman's 'kill prisoners, cheat to win, involve non-combatants' method. The army figured to 'fight fire with fire,' so to speak.

"It worked. No village let fly a single rumor of siding with the Renegade Prince-that is, _if_ they could manage that. The worst part-for Heath and Renj, at least-was when they had to attack their hometown-it had sided with Prince Desman, and there was irrefutable proof this time. So, they treated it like they treated the other renegade villages. Luckily for their peace of mind, they didn't have to lead the attack-they were under someone else's command for the duration of this particular battle.

"And, at the end of the war, Renj found that he liked what they had been doing. Heath was furious, and reported it to their superiors. Thusly, Renj was kicked out of the Wyvern troops, and took up with a mercenary company, as you know. And then, after getting kicked out of the Black Fang when he was caught making unreciprocated advances on Lanari Green, the Little Hawk, by Lloyd Reed, the White Wolf, he swore revenge on Heath, Lanari, and Lloyd." Renj had started raising his voice once he got to taking up with a mercenary company, forcing Heath to listen to what had happened to his old partner once the man was forced out of the military. "And Renj disappeared west, determined to find magics and/or weapons that would allow him to accomplish his goal. I hope you enjoyed the story, Little Tactician." With that, Renj got up and sauntered into Heath's cell while a guard removed the pillow and relocked the door to Lani's cell.

"Well, old friend? Did you enjoy the story? I realize that most of it was old news for you, but surely the new parts at the end made up for that?" When Heath didn't answer and continued staring at the ground, Renj's mockingly pleasant smile was replaced by a slight frown of disappointment. _Probably at my 'lack of response.' Good; I don't want to humor him any more. _Renj sighed, "You're no fun at all, Heath. At least the Tactician was screaming for a while before you showed up to 'rescue' her." With a smirk at Heath's angry growl and attempted lunge for his throat, Renj sauntered out, a guard locking the door behind him.

Heath stared at the floor, anger at his inability to protect Lani creating a burning pit in his stomach. He couldn't even defy Renj or help Lani. What a pathetic Wyvern Lord.

* * *

Renj relaxed into the pile of cushions stacked in his room for just such an occasion of languor. He stared into his crystal, bored. It had been a few days since he had told little Lani his and Heath's story, and he hadn't been to "visit" the pair since. And then, he smirked as a particularly delicious plan occurred to him. Now, to put it into play and watch the fun.

* * *

The guard came in to drop off Heath's "meal"-a bowl of gruel and a slice of moldy bread-but the man was careless, and accidentally wandered too close to Heath. The Wyvern Lord, seizing this one-time chance, wrapped his chains around the man's neck, choking him to death. 

Heath bent down, and picked up the man's keys, which he then used to unlock first his chains, and then the door. He sprinted to Lani's cell, unlocked it, and hurried to the Tactician's side. "Lani," he murmured. "Lani, wake up; we've got to get out of here." He shook her slightly, but the teen merely groaned slightly. Heath, worried put the back of his hand on her forehead, only to yank it back at the heat radiating from the girl's face. "You're sick!" he cried. "If only I hadn't been caught! If only _you _hadn't been caught! Oh, Lani," he moaned.

"'Oh, Lani!'" a theatrical voice mimicked from behind him. Heath spun around to face Renj, who was smirking at him quite mockingly. "That was such wonderful entertainment, Heath; I mean, really, thinking you could honestly escape me? Ha!" the man exclaimed. "Oh, no, Heath; I won't let either of you two go so easily; not when your pain fuels the revival of long ago men and women." At Heath's blank look, Renj chuckled darkly. "Poor Heath, you understand so very little about my grand schemes. It appears you need a history lesson. Perhaps I'll give it to you later, when I'm bored again. In the meantime, just so that you know, _you _are the catalyst that fueled little Lani's fever. She was holding on until you arrived out of nowhere; she was convinced you were a mirage, you know. And then, hearing our past...Why, it threw her into delirium." Renj laughed again before continuing, "But no matter; the ceremony can be conducted with the pair of you sane or insane; the soon-to-be revived will not care either way, not when you both are so powerful. Such perfect hosts!" Then, to the guards behind him, "Lock Heath back where he was; and go back to regular duties now that the show's over." With that, Renj swept out of the cell without once looking back.

* * *

Eliwood groaned and buried his head in his hands. "This is just great," he moaned. "First Lani gets captured, then Heath recklessly goes after her. And now..." he trailed off, staring at Hyperion's empty saddle. The wyvern had arrived in the middle of the night, slightly confused, but perfectly healthy. However, neither Heath nor Lani had been with him. 

Lyn put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "We'll find them, Eliwood; we _have_ to," the Blade Lord said in a fierce whisper. Eliwood nodded, but looked closely at her.

"Are _you_ all right, Lyndis? I know how close of friends you and Lani are."

"I'm fine, Eliwood; I have to stay strong and keep believing that we'll find Lani-and Heath-at our enemy's stronghold, and that they'll both be alive and somewhat well." The Blade Lord continued walking, one hand on her sword in case enemies came out of nowhere again.

Eliwood stared after her, worried. If Lani wasn't alive, he feared for Lyn's sanity-and safety; she would plunge heedlessly into battle if her friend wasn't alive, thinking only of revenge. And they couldn't afford to lose her, if only because Lyn was the only heir to Caelyn. Eliwood caught Hector's eye, and the other Lord nodded slightly and caught up to Lyn. Eliwood sighed in relief; Hector would keep on eye on the half-Sacaen Blade Lord.

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**BloodyCrystal:** Well, what do you think? I personally happen to like it. Anyways, more about the revival and the "history lesson" next chapter. I've decided to just stop making promises about updating since I always break them, so when it's done, it'll be posted. And thanks to **Tactician from the Northeast** and **Fire Fanatic** and any other readers for your understanding. 


	16. Interlude: Not That Similar

**BloodyCrystal:** Hey, all. I'm giving you another interlude-sorry-because I want to get several chapters out before November-I can't update during November, sorry-and this was the first idea that came to mind. So, enjoy a story-not from Lani's past-from Heath's past.

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Heath, Bern, or any other Fire Emblem stuff that you recognize. Oh, and the Compass Rose has been stolen from the Mage Storms series by Mercedes Lackey.

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Interlude: Not So Similar...

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Heath Tyien brushed longish green hair out of his eyes as he looked around, gray eyes wide with wonder. The ten-year-old couldn't believe that he had actually made it into the famed Wyvern Riders. Well, maybe not a Rider yet-the boy was a new recruit, after all-but Heath was determined to become one of the best Riders ever! 

He carefully stowed his stuff in the locker provided, and sat on the bottom bunk. _I really hope my bunkmate doesn't mind the top bunk..._

A few hours later, Heath looked up as a black-haired ten-year-old entered the room and made his way to the bunk Heath was sitting on. "Hey, I'm Renj Urndzt. I guess I'm you're bunk partner. Do you mind if I take the top bunk?" the gold-eyed boy asked, a slight trace of shyness in his barring.

Heath hesitantly smiled back, shaking the proffered hand. "Go ahead; I prefer the bottom bunk, anyways. And I'm Heath Tyien, by the way." The two boys smiled shyly at each other, both feeling drawn towards their fellow recruit.

* * *

Heath smirked as he dodged his opponent's lance. He swung his own around, only to have it blocked by the other's lance. He and his opponent continued sparring, neither of them landing a blow. Finally, the drillmaster's whistle broke the sounds of fifteen-year-olds breathing. "Good job, Tyien, Urndzt," the man said. "You two pass. Congratulations, you're now official Wyvern Riders. Go take care of your beasts and cool down." 

Heath and his best friend for the past five years, Renj Urndzt, exchanged grins from atop their winged partners, flashing the other a thumbs up in delight. The two were perfectly matched in lance fighting, and in all else they covered each other's weaknesses. Some of their trainers had taken to calling the two the "Perfect Pair" due to their complementary abilities. The pair didn't care-they were enjoying the time a little too much.

Heath and Renj flew to the stables where they both proceeded to give their wyverns-Hyperion and Trance-a full groom down. Afterwards, they snuck into town to celebrate at the tavern favored by recruits, the Compass Rose. The twain proceeded to celebrate with the rest of the recruits-newly graduated and newly come alike. Nary a thought turned to the problematic succession, which was definitely coming up soon, what with King Derian on his deathbed.

* * *

Co-Captain Renj Urndzt flew through the air on his wyvern, Trance. He swooped and dove, raining fire lances down on Rirtsi Village in southeastern Bern. The fools deserved it, siding with the would-be usurper, Prince Desman, instead of welcoming in the rightful King Desmond, who had been crowned not quite seven years ago. The traitorous Prince Desman had started the 'civilians are fair game,' and he would now have to live with the consequences! Renj refused to let the Prince and those on his side have their way unopposed. 

Renj's co-Captain-and best friend-, Heath Tyien, landed with the other half of the troops, killing all who resisted. Then, Renj and his half landed, and the fun began. When the wyvern troops left, many more lay dead, women were struggling to pull tattered clothes back on, and valuables had been confiscated.

Renj loved the thrill of it all, living like this. In fact, he found that he could go on like this for a while yet. Renj couldn't wait for the next village to raze.

* * *

Co-Captain Heath Tyien stared at his best friend/co-Captain, Renj Urndzt. He couldn't believe that-two years after the end of the official war-Renj was still perfectly willing to live the way they had during the war. Renj seemed to thrive on people's fear. And Heath couldn't stand that; after all, he'd become a Wyvern Rider to defend the people and the Crown. And Renj, who had once so fervently wanted the same, was now blood-thirsty, living off fear and terror, striking fear for fun. 

Heath simply couldn't get his mind around his best friend-who had shared the same ideals as him before the war-could go so bad. And yet, five months later, Renj was only enjoying that lifestyle more and more everyday. Heath couldn't take it any longer; with a lump in his stomach and a traitorous feeling in his heart, he went to Commander Murdock, and told the great Wyvern Lord exactly what had been happening.

* * *

Renj Urndzt couldn't believe it, wouldn't believe it. His best friend, Heath Tyien, had turned him in to Commander Murdock simply for enjoying the life he'd been leading for twelve years, since the beginning of the war through "clean-up" duty after its end. And Heath had turned him in for _that_? 

Renj glared poison at his one-time friend as Heath testified-in an emotionless voice-against him. Sure enough, he was convicted and thrown out of the Bern army. And, worst of all after Heath's betrayal, they took Trance from him! How they could take his life-partner from him so easily, so casually, so cruelly! His dearest friend next to the traitorous Heath had been Trance, and he could not even take her with him? Unthinkable! _And they call me cold-hearted..._

Renj stalked out of the wyvern barracks in a foul mood, storming through the city until he saw a recruitment poster for the mercenary group The Black Fang. _Well, I'll bet _they_ won't mind a little extra blood-shed...And once I've learned more, I'll come back and make Heath pay for this! It's _his_ fault I lost Trance, and I'll _never_ forget that! _Never! 

* * *

Heath Tyien watched his once-friend leave, making sure that Renj Urndzt couldn't see him. _May you recover from this, and return once you have. I will gladly be your friend then, and will gladly help you recover Trance should you return to who you were_, Heath mentally promised his friend. "Until then, Renj, I will be waiting. As long as I must for our reunion, friend..."

* * *

Commander Murdock Eritz, head of the Wyvern units, also watched the court-marshaled Renj Urndzt walk away. However, he watched not with sadness, but with a clear and total understanding. "I had thought they were the same person made into two different bodies with different outsides when I first met them," he mused aloud. "However, it appears I was wrong. I guess they're not so similar after all..."

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**BloodyCrystal:** Well, what do you think? I'm very happy with the way this jumps POVs, but I wish I'd done a bit more with Renj's character to help the audience sympathize with him a bit more. Yes, you are supposed to sympathize at least a little bit with both-after all, both were "betrayed" if you look at it in the right way. Thanks to **Fire Fanatic** for being a sounding board for the first part of the chapter, and thanks to **Tactician from the Northeast** for being such a helpful reviewer. Remember folks, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism is always nice, not to mention a "good job on such-and-such." Expect one more chapter before November, and then nothing while I do a one-month-long writing contest. TTFN! 


	17. Revival, Part the First

**BloodyCrystal:** Hey. This is gonna be my last chapter until December, so I hope you enjoy it.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing from Fire Emblem (7).

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**Ch. 11: Revival, part the first**

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**Renj leaned into the cushioned chair that had been placed between the only two cells currently in use. "I suppose you two are wondering why you're not being tortured to death, but merely being tortured for amusement?" he queried. He met with no response save two fierce glares. Renj sighed in mock disappointment. Then, his eyes flashed, and he snapped out, "Too bad, because I'm telling you anyways." 

Renj cleared his throat and collected himself. "A long time ago, after the Scouring, their was another 'Great Evil' that walked this world: the Dream Master. He gave each of his priests-and priestesses-one of his powers, even though he still had all of them. If the Dream Master gave his power to someone, they came to serve him completely-even if they had been avowedly against him before this gift. He was like a god in his majesty." Renj's voice showed his own awe for this 'Dream Master.'

"The Dream Master's goal was to conquer Elibe, and he very nearly succeeded. However, when all of his gifts were given and he had conquered all but Bern, Sacae, and parts of both Lycia and Ilia, seven warriors arose-one from each land-to put him down. Ilane, a Falcoknight of Ilia; Seren, a Bishop of Etruria; Nirse, a Druid of Nabata; Kert, a Berserker of Davros Island; Lira, a Nomadic Trooper of the Lorca Tribe in Sacae; Trent, a Great Lord and Marquess of Ostia in Lycia; and Rin, a Wyvern Lord from Bern.

"Together, these seven fought and sealed the Dream Master. But he vowed to return when mortals again came under fire. And this time, it would take more than seven to stand against him. And now, I have found him, and he has given me his greatest power: the ability to give people dreams of my making."

"YOU!" Lani roared, rattling her chains in a-failed-attempt to lunge at-and hopefully kill-Renj.

The man smirked at the young Tactician. "Careful; you don't want to reopen any wounds, young miss."

"You still haven't told us what you expect our part to be," Heath shot back.

"True, true. So, I shall tell you, curious ones. In order to come back, the Dream Master requires a Priest _and_ a Priestess, not to mention a strong sacrifice-male or female, it doesn't matter. So, little Lani, you shall gain the Dream Master's second power, and you, old friend, shall become the body his spirit dwells in. Such delicious revenge," Renj said, smirking at both of them. "I shall leave you to wallow in misery; after all, can't have the ceremony until the pests are cleaned up. Ta."

Renj walked off jauntily, while a guard came in to carry his chair back. Meanwhile, Heath's mind was ticking with an idea.

* * *

The unsuspecting idiot-aka, the guard who brought food-came a little to close to Heath during his delivery service. Heath smirked slightly and wrapped his chains around the man's neck, choking him to death. Then, he swiped the keys and freed himself. Dashing across the hall, Heath freed Lani, and caught the unconscious girl when she slumped into his arms. 

Heath then made a beeline out. However, he stopped when he saw a supply cabinet. Shrugging he entered, looking for a first-aid kit. He strapped one to his belt, and then continued out with Lani riding piggyback-style.

Heath exited out onto the grounds, and looked around spotting a forest. And, towards the other side of it, was a very distinct tree. _Got a landmark, got Lani, got supplies...Time to go._

Heath dashed into the forest, Lani held on his back, the med supplies strapped to his belt. _Just a bit further,_ he thought. Soon enough, although it seemed like forever to the Wyvern Lord, he came upon the tree that he had glimpsed from outside the forest and deemed good for his purposes. Carefully he sat down, pressing his back against the tree bark. He took out the stolen medi-care supplies, and checked Lani's pulse.

Her head fell limply back into his hand and his stomach twisted. Lani _never_ let any weakness show, and that she had to and was doing so now, unconscious and bruised, littered in cuts, and wincing in her slumber from every movement… it hurt him just to see her.

"Lani?"

That soft moan again and her eyelids fluttered. But she didn't open them.

"Damnit, why did I wait so long!"

He pulled out the cloth from his pocket and dipped it into the cool water beside him before gently placing it on the tactician's forehead and smoothing her hair away. A shudder ran through her and he nearly removed his hand from her neck in shock before a hiss of pain rushed from her teeth and kept his hand there.

"Hea-th?"

Clamminess roared up his skin as her left hand swept upwards to grab for his own; she hadn't opened her eyes.

Her head went to the side and as her face scrunched together in pain at the movement, the rag began to slip. He caught both her hand and it just before they hit the ground.

Lani hissed again and her body writhed, her eyes springing open in a dazzle of red.

"It is you. I knew it," she told him, eyes still slightly fever-glazed.

"Hush, Lani, lie still; I have to get you into better shape than you are right now," the Wyvern Lord told her, relief at her well-being seeping into his voice.

"Aww, isn't that sweet enough to make you puke?" a mocking tone asked. The two looked up to see Renj and some guards. "Surprise, old friend, but we've found you. Clever, what you did, but it didn't do you much good in the end. Come; the Revival-and your captive friends-await!"

* * *

**BloodyCrystal: **And that would be the end of part the first. Part the second to come in December. When in December? I have no idea. Oh, and as to how Heath knew that there were no guards-Renj had all but told them that he had to go deal with Eliwood and Co. Therefore, a lot of guards would be put into this venture. Until then. 


	18. Revival, Part the Second

**BloodyCrystal:** Hey all, I'm back from my contest. And, no, I didn't win; I guess I'm not good at speed writing. Anyways, here's another chapter. Sorry it took so long, but I'm still studying for mid-terms/finals-they're the second week of January. Plus, lots of winter concerts-one for dance, one for band. Not to mention other junk that cropped up (read MAJOR history project that I probably failed anyways).

* * *

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fire Emblem, but I do believe that the ritual is mine. I've never heard of anything like it before, and I love reading up on mythology, so I think I'd know, but if it's someone else's, well, sorry to them.

* * *

Ch. 12: Revival, part the second

* * *

"Don't look so upset, Heath," Renj told him. "After all, if the Dream Master likes Lani, he'll use your body to do her." At Heath's growl, Renj chuckled, obviously enjoying his power over both the sacrifice and the-unwilling-new priestess.

Renj looked down on his one-time friend with a superior smirk. Heath had been tied spread-eagle, his body fitting the inverted pentagram carved into the stone floor. Lani was being given the Dream Master's power as she was forced to kneel before the marble altar in the northern part of the room. Like Heath and Renj, she was dressed in pure black robes, although hers were assuredly feminine while theirs were definitely masculine in make and style.

Suddenly, the purple-haired Tactician glowed, and then all her injuries disappeared as she stood up from the altar. Her eyes were blank, pupil-less red pools locked onto one of two indents near the inverted pentagram. She stepped onto the indent, and a glow started up. Renj, smirking, stepped onto the other one, and a similar glow started up. Heath's eyes widened slightly as he watched the two glows combine and fill the room. There were screams of pain from the guards who had been in there, and Heath could literally _feel_ their bodies burn and their souls leave to the Heavens-or to Hell. Then, he felt something coming closer and closer to him, something dark, dangerous...Evil...

This other conscience proceeded to attack him, trying to force him out of his body. Heath refused, fighting back. He couldn't leave, not when Lani needed him. But this other presence wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. It was slippery, underhanded, and somehow it got the better of him, and Heath found himself pushed out of his body, his soul spiraling upwards. _'No!' _he roared. _'Lani! Lani!'_

_'Oh, hush,'_ from another voice, one that he knew very well. Sure enough, there stood his older brother, whom he had looked up to-until he had been forced to attack and destroy his home village, his brother along with it. Heath turned away, ashamed, but his brother appeared in front of him. _'Oh, brother, I don't hate you. How could I, Heath? We _are _family, you recall.'_

_'Then I'm dead, now, am I?'_ Heath queried, looking around. It was a white wasteland, no other color as far as his eyes could see.

_'Not quite, Heath,'_ his brother replied. _'You see, this place is in-between death and life. No, I'm not normally here,'_ he added at Heath's worried look and startled intake. _'I'm only here right now to talk to you. You need to find a way back into your body. Yes, it's possible-the Dream Master is not, after all, a god, Heath. Just a very powerful demon. So, hang around near your body and wait for your friends to use a powerful weapon that will kill the Dream Master and leave you about two seconds to slip into your body before it actually does die.'_

_'And you think I can do this?' _Heath asked. His brother nodded, smiling at him.

_'Don't worry; once the Dream Master is killed, your lover will be brought back, too. She doesn't even have to work at it since she's still in her body. Now, Heath, it's time for you to go back so you don't get locked out. Don't worry, none of us hate you. Good luck, and we don't want to see you for another seven decades-live to be a hundred, baby brother!'_

With that last comment, the glowing spirit waved his hands and Heath found himself hurtling back down. When his stomach caught up to him, he looked around, not exactly surprised to find himself next to the Dream Master. What did surprise him was who was sharing the Dream Master's bed-a naked Lani! Sure enough, the Dream Master shared her nude state, and he looked quite pleased with what had obviously just happened.

"Well, pet, you make a wonderful bed partner. Oh, yes," the demon purred. "How about we do that again tomorrow night? You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He chuckled. "But it's only the body that turns you on, hmm? Well, you'll just have to get used to me being in here rather than your old lover." He chuckled again, darker, and stroked Lani's face. Her blank eyes half-closed in pure ecstatic pleasure. Heath looked away, unable to watch this not-Lani look-alike enjoy his own body's attentions so much. It was as if _he _was the one to have raped her.

He wouldn't blame her for hating him once this was all over-he already hated himself for letting this happen in the first place.

* * *

Eliwood groaned slightly as he shifted. When he didn't feel restraints, he blinked in surprise and sat bolt upright. He was surrounded by all the others-minus Heath and Lani-in a huge room with unlit torches and no windows. The Lord got up and quietly edged out of the room. He walked down the hallways until he reached another large room lined with food-filled tables. Only one other person was in the room, and Eliwood recognized Count Collin of the magic-users immediately. "Count Collin, thank you for your hospitality," Eliwood said, inclining his head ever-so-slightly.

"You are quite welcome, Lord Eliwood. If you would help yourself to some food; I believe that all of your army that we found will be quite hungry after your ordeal. I apologize for those we could not find and rescue-" the Count said politely until Eliwood interrupted, shaking his head.

"No one could be expected to do that much, Count. I am grateful for those that you _did_ managed to rescue. If you will please excuse me to get some food," Eliwood added. The Count nodded and Eliwood backed up to get his food.

When everyone was up and done eating, Count Collin announced, "There is another reason why you are all here. We of the Non-Human Council have managed to find a way to help you _and_ keep the balance that we agreed to long ago. Take this sword, Lord Eliwood, and strike it into whomever the Dream Master has taken as a host-my guess is your missing male comrade. This will release the binding on your female comrade, _and_ kill the Dream Master for good. He will not be able to come back this time," Collin seemed very pleased with that little bit. "Before you ask," the magic-user added before a word could be said, "I'm not sure what this will do to your male comrade. It might bring him back, but none of us on the Council are sure at all."

"That is understood," Eliwood said calmly. "Thank you for even the slightest bit of hope, Count Collin."

"You are quite welcome, humans. But hurry, before the Dream Master regains strength, we must infuse the sword with its power. All of you, come with me." The Count led them to another cavern, this one with seven towers, each forged of a different gemstone. "All from Lycia, gather by the onyx tower-you stand for sincerity. The three sisters of Ilia, gather by the jasper tower and be joy. Those of Bern, stand by the turquoise tower-you are courage. Those from Etruria, gather at the amber tower-you stand for longevity. If you are from Sacae-this includes you, Lady Lyndis-then go to the opal tower of fidelity. Athos of Nabata, stand by the sapphire tower, for you are power. Hawkeye of Davros Island, go to the ruby tower; you are passion. Now, everyone, focus on the towers; you may even touch your personal tower if it makes you feel better and more concentrated on it...That's it...Very good...Okay, you can all stop," he said, sounding pleased. "Here, Lord Eliwood, is your sword!"

They all stared in awe at the seven-colored pommel-stone which changed color-and gemstone-in time with the blade. "Now, go forth, and free Elibe and your friends!" Count Collin said, and they found themselves in the courtyard of Renj's castle. Immediately, the battle was joined, ferociousness on both sides.

* * *

The group reconvened in the throne room. Renj lay dead, courtesy of Lyn's Mani Katti and Hector's Wolf Beil, both of which had struck punishing blows against the man. Now, all that remained was to charge forth and find Lani and Heath's body, now home to a demon. However, before they could take a step, a wicked chuckle sounded out of nowhere as the two they were looking for seemed to almost materialize out of the shadows. "Well done, defeating my priest. However, can you beat my priestess and me, too?" He laughed, long and hard, until Eliwood, maddened, lunged forward, aided by Ninian's dance, and plunged the sword through the body's heart. Time seemed to stop as he yanked it out, the familiar gray eyes widened in surprise as the body slumped down.

"HEATH!" Lani, freed from her mental compulsion, roared, lunging for her friend's body, barely catching it as she clung to the unresponsive body, sobbing hysterically into it.

_'She still cares for me?'_ Heath's spirit murmured as he plunged back into his own body, praying that it wasn't too late to make things up to his friend and Tactician.

* * *

**BloodyCrystal:** Well, how'd ya like it? The story's ending soon (sob) but there might just be a short little sequel of only a few chapters. In the meantime, I will not be updating for a while-in all likelihood-as mid-Terms/Finals are indeed soon, and I'm possibly screwed on the math and science ones. So, I update when I update. To all others who haven't taken the (dreaded) tests yet, good luck, and hold in there!


	19. Renewal

**BloodyCrystal: **Hey, all! (crickets chirp) Eh, heh heh heh? Okay, I deserve this for being a lazy brat, but honestly! _Someone_ should be here, right? Right? (crickets chirp louder) It's official, my only company is the crickets. Well, for those who might care, here's the last-minus epilogue-chapter of **Dream Master**. (sob) I can't believe it went so fast! Well, there's always the sequel…If I make one.

**Disclaimer: **As always, I own nothing save plot, non-humans (minus horses and wyverns), Lani, Renj, Nadi, the Dream Master, Heath's family, etc. The game belongs to...Someone who is not me.

* * *

Ch. 13: Renewal

* * *

Lani sobbed, clinging to Heath's slightly warm body. She knew he wasn't dead, but the Tactician knew that he was close to it. Her friend, ally against the Dream Master, and confidante was dying by bits, and she couldn't do anything. The Non-Human Council couldn't intervene because of the balance of power, and none of them were powerful enough as it was. After all, they had told her that they would gladly disrupt the balance of power if it meant saving Heath, but that it would do no good; together and separately, it made no difference-they were powerless to save him. 

Lani sniffled again, muffling the sound by burying her face in Heath's chest. She didn't know where his conscience was, but it wasn't in his body, at least not completely. He hadn't moved from his prone position since Lord Eliwood had yanked the sword out of him, freeing her conscience and his body. "Oh, Heath," she whispered, gazing down at him.

Even their settings couldn't cheer the desolate girl up, which was surprising since-for the first time in several years-Lani was back with her family. Rein and Aloa Green had taken their two youngest children to Etruria to live, and, since their house was both spacious and close to where the final battle had been, the army had taken shelter there with the couple's permission, not knowing the relation to Lani. Lani knew, but she hadn't revealed it yet. After all, her parents and blood-sibs were all but strangers now, and she wasn't sure of the welcome she'd receive since she'd helped to destroy the Black Fang. So the Tactician kept her hood up and her mouth shut-after all, none of her family had _ever_ called her Lani, only Lanari, Lana, or-in the case of her young blood-sibs-Lanali.

Lani carefully wiped Heath's brow with the slightly damp washcloth that she had taken to keeping close during her vigil. She ran it along his face, frowning slightly when she noticed no change in her friend's facial expression. Even when sick or delirious, people's expression's always smoothed when a friend or loved one took care of them-it was just something in the human psyche that caused that.

Lani reflected for a moment on her knowledge of that intangible thing, the human psyche. She only knew of it because it was a Tactician's job to know all about not only battles, strategies, tactics, warfare, supplies and geography, but about humans. Humans were the ones who fought the battles, after all, and initiative could go a long way, as she herself had seen in fights against Nergal when, by all rights, her army should have lost. So Tacticians studied humans in general so that they knew how others reacted, and Heath _should _have relaxed at least a little with her, a close friend, taking care of him.

_A close friend,_ Lani wondered, in no small amount of awe. _I have a close friend._ Tacticians were told to expect politeness, but not friendship or love. Tacticians were calm, collected, aloof, not needing the inter-human relations that all others of their species relied on. And yet, Lani knew she would've fallen long before were it not for her friendship with Lady Lyn, Lord Eliwood, Lord Hector, and, most of all, Heath. She remembered the stories of Tacticians who became friends with others, how it was normally still a mostly manipulative friendship, and never close.

_I...am not a good Tactician,_ the crimson-eyed girl realized. _And I don't care._ The second realization was more startling than the first, for Lani had always cared mainly about being a Tactician-and a good one-and only then about Lloyd, Linus, and her family. _How long have I only cared about being a good Tactician? I think...I think it's been that way since Nadi died. I didn't want to care so much about someone who I might have to order around and where my orders might kill them._ _So what changed me?_

The answer to that query was so obvious, that Lani smiled, slightly embarrassed that she had needed to ask so obvious a question. _Lady Lyn started it, back in Sacae, when she saved me. But the one who finished it was..._"Heath," she whispered, brushing stray green hair off the older man's forehead. She gazed down at him, tenderly, and whispered, "I need you to come back, my friend."

Lani wasn't expecting anything to happen, so she was understandably surprised when Heath murmured, "A' course, Lan'; a' course," and opened charcoal gray eyes.

* * *

Everyone was so relieved to see him up that they completely ignored his right to privacy. Heath was glad that they all cared that much, but still. It got very annoying very quickly. The only person whose company he wanted was the one person who hadn't been to visit him since awakening. However, that was understandable-Lani had finally found her family again and she was taking time to get to know them again.

As for how the Greens had found out, well, that was an interesting story. Evidently, Lani had concealed her identity from her family, fearing that they wouldn't want her back after her part in destroying their life-long goal-the Black Fang. _If I had been awake, I would have strangled that girl for not telling her family who she was. How could they not want her back, after all? Families are families, no matter what you do. I should know this, considering what big brother told me when I was not-quite dead._

When Heath had opened his eyes, Lani had all but jumped on him, squealing her delight. That had brought everyone else in the place running, including the Greens, whose home they were currently inhabiting. When Rein and Aloa had come in, Lani's hood had fallen back as she hugged Heath, lying almost on top of him on the bed. The two had looked up at the sounds of people coming in. Rein had dropped what he was carrying and him and Aloa had been next to Lani instantly, hugging her. Aloa had exclaimed, "Lanari! Oh, Lanari, you're back! My baby!" Lani had gotten a scared look on her face, which Rein had seen and interpreted correctly.

"Och, Lana, we be glad tae see ye, bairn, and whate'er adventures ye've haed will be tald soon, Ah'm sha'. Fae naow, wee wan, we be seein' ye're fraind safe," the man drawled, homey accent more than obvious.

And, sure enough, Heath had been tended to by everyone, and then the Greens had whisked all three of their children off for stories to be told. Before disappearing, Aloa had told all of them where everything was in the house so that they could take care of everything while the five were closeted. It had been three days and there was still no sign of them. And, even worse-in Heath's mind-Serra was forcing him to take foul-smelling concoctions so that he could "recover." He had tried appealing to Lucius and Renault, but to no avail-Renault said he didn't care, and Lucius sided with the pink-haired witch.

Exactly on time, Lucius appeared in the doorway, mug of poison in hand. "Come on, Lucius; the point's for me to get better, not be poisoned by that she-devil!" Heath exclaimed. He wrinkled his nose as the stench of said poison was wafted under his nose-it smelled even worse than the normal potion.

"Serra wouldn't poison you, Heath; she's a Bishop, after all. Now, please, don't complain and drink this, or you won't be fit for the banquet tonight. Yes, banquet, Heath. The Greens have come out of self-imposed exile, and just in time. The King of Etruria is throwing a banquet for us, here in Castle Fang, and all of us must attend. So, please, just drink this," the blond-haired Bishop all but pleaded.

"…" Heath eyed the goblet, then sighed in resignation and held out a hand. The other he used to plug his nose against the smell. Lucius smiled and handed the goblet over to the Wyvern Lord, who downed it in one gulp. Heath made a disgusted face and leaped for the water pitcher, which he proceeded to empty in short order. "There, happy?" At the Bishop's nod, Heath all but jumped out of bed and made his way to the door.

Lucius watched him go with a smile, knowing exactly where the older man was headed. "Good luck, friend," he murmured, well aware that Heath wouldn't hear it. "Blessed St. Elmine, watch over those two. May they be happy together for a very long time."

* * *

"Heath!" Lani cried, pouncing on Heath with a hug. She was dressed up in a dress rather than her usual uniform of skirt, shirt, and cape. It was modest and a bright purple, neatly complimenting her violet hair. Her crimson eyes glowed as she stepped back, looking up at him. "I'm so glad you're feeling better. Serra said you'd be up, but I didn't believe her..."

"I'm fine, Lani," he assured her, feeling the familiar clench in his gut that he got whenever he saw her. He pushed it away, firmly reminding himself of the Tactician's age. _But it doesn't help when she's dressed up and glowing at me._ He did claim a dance with his friend before turning her over to someone else-he thought it was Eliwood, but he wasn't sure.

* * *

Lani stumbled up the stairs after the party. _I...I must've had a little too much to drink. How many glasses? Maybe no more than three or four...I gotta remember to not drink at parties, I always end up inebriated...At least I've never woken in someone else's bed..._ She stumbled again, and blinked, the room waving in and out of focus. _Wake up_, she hissed at herself, pinching her arm to no avail. _Is this my door?_ she wondered, blinking in a semi-drunken stupor as she stared at the wood door that had appeared in front of her. _I think it is. Gods, I hope it is._ She walked in, almost hitting the door. The light was on, illuminating someone.

"Oh, sharry. M' mistake, frien'. Ah'll jes' be on me way," she giggled. The figure was at her side instantly, frowning down at her.

"Lani, are you drunk?" Heath's voice asked her. She nodded, and giggled helplessly, watching him think. It was sort of cute, the way he tilted his head just so and scrunched up his face. "All right, this way." He led her over to his bed, and tucked her in.

"Heath? What are you doing?" she asked him, confused. In her drunken state, she didn't fully realize what was happening.

"You can't make it back to your room, so I'm giving you my bed for the night," the Wyvern Lord replied, settling down onto a cushioned chair. "I've slept on worse, and this way you'll wake up comfortably, even if you've got a head from all the alcohol you drank. I should've known you couldn't keep up with Wallace."

Lani frowned, and then remembered. She'd had a glass or two when General Wallace-much farther gone than her-had stumbled over and challenged her to a drinking contest. She'd accepted, out of a combination of pride and drink. "Oh. Yesh, well, Ah could nae jes' _let_ 'im win a contest. Ah haed tae do me bes', and tha' bes' won!" she stated proudly.

"Of course, Lan', of course. Now go to sleep," he chuckled, turning off the light. "Goodnight," he murmured.

"'Night, Hea'," she mumbled, falling into sleep, snuggling into Heath's comfy, warm bed.

* * *

**BloodyCrystal:** Okay, that's it. The last chapter before the epilogue. See ya next time.


	20. Epilogue

**BloodyCrystal:** Sorry, sorry! It's just, the characters weren't cooperating, and then the Path of Radiance characters started giving me ideas, so I've got a fanfic for that coming out hopefully soon, although it'll probably take second place to the sequel to **Dream Master**. Anyways, enjoy the epilogue and look for the sequel, whose name I have yet to come up with.

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**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fire Emblem: The Blazing Sword. If I did, things would be a lot different.

* * *

Epilogue

* * *

Eliwood's army stared at each other, everyone wondering what would happen next. They had beaten their foe, true, but what would happen now? Would they stay together, or break apart? It was a very valid question.

Eliwood cleared his throat, self-consciously adjusting his rapier. "Well, everyone, we've come to the end of our second adventure together. This time, we've learned quite a bit about some members of our band," here he paused to look at Lani and Heath, standing side-by-side near the front of the dais. "We've also managed to defeat a threat to the safety of the whole of Elibe." This time, he was forced to stop because of the cheers. When they finally died down, he continued, "Anyone who wants will be able to find work at Pherae, Ostia, Caelin, or with Pent and Louise. So, find where you're going, and those heading back to Lycia or the lands near her, we leave in the morning."

So it came to pass that a great train heading east left Castle Fang, waving teary good-byes to Pent, Louise, Erk, Priscilla, Raven, Renault, Canas, and Lucius, who were going one way, and to Lani and her family, all of whom were remaining at Castle Fang.

As they headed east, Fiora, Farina, and Florina split, heading north to Ilia, and Athos went south with Hawkeye, returning to their desert home of Nabata. At the border with Sacae, the slowly-diminishing company said good-bye to Karel, Karla, and Bartre. Vaida returned to Bern when they came even further east, along with Legault, Nino, Jaffar, and Heath.

When they reached Ostia, Hector headed off with Oswin, Serra, Matthew, and Guy. Lyn departed at Caelin with Kent, Sain, Rath, and Wallace. Finally, those left arrived at Pherae, and Eliwood, Marcus, Lowen, Isadora, Harken, Rebecca, Wil, Dart, Geitz, and Dorcas were home at last.

The army was scattered across six countries, friends separated by land. Letters went back and forth, but they took time to deliver. However, all of them knew that, should the need arise and the call go out, they would again gather to take up their weapons and ride.

* * *

**BloodyCrystal:** There, that's it. It's over. Until the sequel, of course. See you then.


End file.
